Waiting For You
by Khmerfujoshi
Summary: AU: Living alone in an apartment home was definitely lonely, but gave her a sense of independence. Her first day as a 1st year student had been somewhat nerve-wracking, but enjoyable nonetheless. When a beautiful stranger is about to throw himself off the pedestrian bridge, however, Hinata reacts in the most sane manner possible: by hurling a white radish at him. SasuHina.
1. Chapter 1

_"You're only fifteen, you don't know what real love is yet."_

That's what the adults say all the time. They think that as teenagers, the feelings we have for another are only an illusion, an infatuation. I can honestly say that I've never been in love. I mean, I do like someone, but that only counts as a crush.

My life is fairly normal, and quite boring if I may add. However, what I didn't expect was to meet the one boy who would change my entire life. A sad, lonely and beautiful boy who puts up a wall whenever he's around others. He looks grumpy and mean, but there is kindness in his heart. It just takes some time before one can fully see it. It didn't take long for me to find the real him, the boy who is sleeping, locked up, shrouded in darkness.

And although I wasn't aware of it, it was during the beginning of spring that I met my first love.

* * *

_"It's okay, I'm right here. I promise, I'll never leave you alone..."_

_His hand reached up, his slender fingers wrapping around mine, ever so gently._

_"...Your hand...it's...so warm..." his voice was quiet, and horribly sad, enough to affect my own emotions._

_"I'll stay right beside you, forever..." I whispered. "So, don't worry."_

_He looked up, his red eyes glowing crimson within the darkness._

_"Who...are you...?"_

_Everything around me instantly shattered._

* * *

I bolted upright in bed, sweating, breathless, and numb all over. I wrapped my arms protectively around myself, not sure as to why I was shaking so much. My heartbeat thudded rhythmically, pounding my chest hard from the inside. It was confusing, the constant ache my heart seemed to give off. It was as though it were missing something, almost like it needed it, whatever 'it' was.

Jumping out of bed, I pulled off my clothes, sticky with sweat, probably from last night. Maybe a hot shower was the cure for all this. If anything, I wanted to stop shaking as soon as possible, as well as calm down my beating heart.

My name is Hyuuga Hinata. I turned fifteen only a few months ago in December. Today is a new day, also the day in which I will be attending my first year of high school.

Currently, I live by myself in an apartment my father had rented for me. He had actually wanted me to live in one of those big fancy ones one would usually see on T.V. I had to decline of course. It was just too much for me to live in a big and beautiful room all by myself. I prefer the simple things in life, nothing extravagant, but normal.

My family is now living in Hokkaido, due to my father's transfer from his previous work-site.

* * *

"Yatta! We're all in the same class!" Ino squealed, wrapping her arms around the two of us in a tight hug. "I knew it, I knew it, I knew it! I knew praying at the shrine would help!"

"Okay, okay, we get it already," Sakura laughed. "Now will you _please_ let go? You're crushing my lungs here."

Ino stuck her tongue out at Sakura and blew her a raspberry. "Boo, you're no fun!" She centered her whole attention on me this time, a huge grin stretching across her pretty face. "What do you think, Hinata? Aren't you happy that we're all in the same class again? It'll be just like middle school! And you won't have to be alone either!"

I watched as Sakura elbowed Ino in the shoulder. She probably thought I hadn't seen, but I did.

Ino's cheerful demeanor immediately switched to a more frantic mode. "Oh! I-you know I didn't mean it like that Hinata. I'm not saying that you don't have any friends or anything, it's just that you're so quiet and-"

I returned her earlier grin with a smile of my own, embarrassed. "But I...I am happy. I'm happy that I'll be with you and Sakura for another whole year. I'm...I'm really happy that we weren't separated."

They both stared at me, their faces expressionless for about a few seconds before they both jumped and tackled me, their eyes teary.

"Oh my God, how is it that you can be so _cute_, Hinata?" Ino cried, pulling me into a crushing hug. Sakura held me as well, her arms wrapped around my head.

"You're just too adorable," she gushed. "I should just keep you all to myself and hang a sign around your neck that says 'NO BOYS ALLOWED'." Her left eye twitched. "That should keep the morons away."

Their affection was so strong that I wouldn't be surprised to find hundreds of hearts floating around our small group as they continued to nuzzle me with their faces. The other students around us, much to my embarrassment, were staring.

Yamanaka Ino, a blond haired beauty with pale-blue eyes. She was the outgoing one in our trio, usually the one to decide how we could all spend our time together. Shopping for example was one thing, and the other would be, as she put it, 'hitting the arcade.'

Haruno Sakura, an equally beautiful girl with bubblegum-pink hair and jade-green eyes. In a way, she served as the brains of our group, as well as the rational one whenever Ino came up with crazy antics for us to do.

Both are childhood friends whom I treasure dearly. If not for them, I don't think I would have made it past elementary and junior high school.

* * *

"SAKURA-CHAAAAAN!"

Ino clicked her tongue in annoyance. "Geh, I forgot to tell you that he's in our class too."

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Why me?"

I watched as Naruto-kun tried pouncing on Sakura to hug her. She returned his sudden attack with an attack of her own, punching him straight on in the face.

"Ow..." he squeaked.

"Baka," she growled, "what the hell do you think you're doing?"

While scratching the back of his head, Naruto-kun grinned at her sheepishly. I had to keep myself from laughing at the sight of his bloody nose and chipped tooth. "Sorry, I couldn't help myself," he blushed. "I just missed you too much, Sakura-chan."

It didn't take long for Sakura's usually cool and composed face to turn a bright red. Embarrassed, she turned away, taking the closest empty seat next to her. She pushed back her bangs, her eyes focused solely on the surface of the desk. "You're an idiot," she muttered. Naruto-kun merely smiled in response, his blue eyes practically glowing with happiness.

Uzumaki Naruto, another childhood friend whom I've had a crush on for the longest time. Compared to Ino's pale characteristics, Naruto-kun was brighter physically. He had spiky golden-blond hair and azure-blue eyes. They were a beautiful color. Every time I caught myself looking into them, it felt as though I were looking directly into the blue sky itself.

What I liked about Naruto-kun was that he wasn't afraid to say what was on his mind. He had the honesty, like that of a child, as well as the energy. He was never too tired to not have fun, and he was good at making people laugh. I liked that about him. He was confident. He reminded me of the sun and the sky. A beautiful and bright day to look forward to.

And for as long as I can remember, he's always been in love with Sakura, ever since we were kids.

I giggled as he raised his left hand to flash a V-sign at me.

* * *

The teacher walked in, closing the classroom door shut. He took slow and even-paced steps as he took his spot behind the desk. He had a pocket-sized orange novel over his shoulder, his finger bookmarking the page he was currently on. He was tall, with spiked silvery hair that swept to his left side. A line of a scar marked his face as well, directly located underneath his left eye. Strangely, he wore a black mask that covered the bottom-half of his face. The rest was followed by the typical dress shirt a teacher was required to wear, and black slacks.

The whole class stared at him, and I'm sure we were all thinking exactly the same thing.

_Is he allowed to wear that?_

From the expression in his eyes, I had a feeling that he would be one of those boring teachers with the monotone for a voice. I was wrong however the second he flashed us, what I could only assume to be, a smile, what with the way his eyes crinkled at the corners and all.

"_Ohayou gozaimasu minna-san! O genki desu ka? Watashi no namae wa Hatake Kakashi desu_. _Wakarimasu ka?"_

The class remained silent and continued to stare at him, not sure what to make of him. Looks certainly were deceiving.

He raised an eyebrow, at least, I think he did. "What, no one has anything to say?"

Complete silence.

He sighed. "Oh boy, I can definitely tell that _this_ is going to be an exciting class." He coughed into his closed fist. "Anyways, let's start with the introductions for now." His eyes scanned the room for a starting place. "All right then, we'll start with you. Introduce yourself to the class please."

A boy with spiky brown hair and slits for eyes stood up. He had teeth that resembled fangs and skin almost as tan as Naruto-kun's. He wore his gakuran jacket like most of the boys in class did-unbuttoned with some sort of shirt underneath. Across his chest was the printed kanji for the word 'Dog.' I found it quite ironic, really. He certainly resembled a wild canine.

"I'm Inuzuka Kiba!" he grinned. "It's nice to meet you all!"

I couldn't help but gush at his tone of voice. It reminded me of Naruto-kun. Bright and loud. I watched as he sat back down, scratching the ridge of his nose with an embarrassed grin.

_He seems friendly_. I sighed, relieved.

"All right, who's next?" asked sensei.

A boy with bushy brown hair stood up this time. His gakuran jacket however had an unusually high collar, enough to cover the bottom-half of his face like sensei. He was tall with pale skin and wore sunglasses that framed his eyes entirely.

"Aburame Shino," he said in a deep and low voice. He nodded his head once and sat back down.

The boy behind him stood up next in a slouching position. He yawned widely, not even bothering to cover his mouth. He had his hair tied back and wore a silver piercing in his left ear.

"Nara Shikamaru. Yoroshiku."

Introductions continued, and by the end of class, I wasn't sure as to whether or not I would be able to remember everyone's names, but the ones I did remember were Akimichi Chouji, Rock Lee, Tenten, and the first three to introduce themselves.

I smiled to myself. Everyone seemed nice, if not a little strange. I could only hope that this school year would be just as fun as the last.

* * *

"The cherry blossoms sure are beautiful this year, aren't they Hinata?" Ino asked. Despite being a very pretty girl, Ino was in some ways, boyish. An example would be the way she carried her school bag-slung over her shoulder.

Sakura blushed and slapped Ino on the back. "Mou, Ino! Don't say that, it's embarrassing!"

Ino gritted her teeth. The blow she'd received was obviously painful, especially when it came from Sakura. "No, _you're _the embarrassing one. And by the way, I wasn't talking about you, forehead," she winced. "I'm literally talking about the blossoms."

I giggled. "The cherry blossoms are beautiful, but I think Sakura is too," I smiled. Ino's mouth dropped open in shock as Sakura threw her arms around me.

"I love you, Hinata-chan!" she squealed.

"What about me, Hinata?" Don't you think I'm pretty?" Ino asked, pointing at herself.

"Of course, you're beautiful too, Ino."

Although I knew what to say to make them happy, I was telling the truth as well.

"We love you, Hinata-chan!" they cried, continuing to attack me with hugs and kisses on the cheek. I felt the same way.

* * *

**"I miss you, onee-chan! Hurry up and graduate already!" **Hanabi whined through the phone. I smiled. It wasn't hard to picture my sister throwing another one of her tantrums. I could only assume father wasn't there at the moment.

"I miss you too, Hanabi. How is it over here? Well, the apartment's nice. What? No, I don't need anything big. Small is nice too, not everything has to be big. Hai hai, I know. I'll call you as much as I can, okay? I know, I love you too. Say hi to Neji nii-san and father for me when he gets home. Yes, all right then, bye. I'll talk to you later." I hung up the phone, setting it gently back into it's cradle. "Now, what to cook for dinner...?"

I walked into the small kitchen, bending down to get a better view inside the refrigerator as I opened the door. Aside from the five water-bottles and a carton of milk, the refrigerator was basically empty. I let out a long sigh. Shopping late on a school night for food wasn't exactly a good idea, nor was going to bed with an empty stomach. I decided to head out to the supermarket.

* * *

The store was almost empty, save for a few customers here and there.

I roamed the vegetable aisle first and grabbed whatever I found edible and delicious enough to eat tonight. My health as a high school student was important. Thank God my father had took it upon himself to push about a fourth of his savings on me. It would've been stupid on my part to not accept, especially since I was living alone, at least for now that is.

I picked up a large daikon radish and a few other vegetables. I wasn't too sure about what I would be cooking. "I guess I'll worry about that later," I mumbled to myself, now scanning the fruit section for fresh pickings. I picked up a package of bright-red strawberries. They looked too delicious to pass up.

On my way to the check out counter, I picked up a few more items, which consisted of two ramen bowls, five packs of miso soup base, a six inch log of tofu, and some freshly sliced beef and pork.

After paying, I stepped outside into the cool and breezy night. It was perfect for spring. I hummed to myself a song I'd heard earlier on Inos' iPod. Utada Hikaru was one of my favorite artists. She had a beautiful voice with a wonderful range of vocals. _Beautiful World_ was currently my favorite out of all her songs.

Swinging the bags back and forth while skipping may have been childish, but it was a habit I'd become accustomed to. As a child, my parents used to send me out to do simple chores all the time, such as picking up items for my father, or purchasing cakes from the local bakery for my mother, who bless her heart, passed away eight years ago. Aside from the tall lamps that lit the dark streets, it was late, so nobody _I_ knew would be out at this time of night, and I didn't have to worry about embarrassing myself either.

Cars zoomed by, not at all mindful of the pedestrians waiting to safely cross the streets. I stood by the curb, waiting patiently for the crosswalk light to turn green. Cars continued to speed by. I wondered if they knew how dangerous it was for them to speed like that, regardless of the time. Looking up, my eyes fell on the beautiful stars above. They shone beautifully in the night sky, leaving a trail that seemed to lead towards the heavens. A trail that only an angel could walk upon.

_Mother_..._how are you?_

I was pulled back into reality when a car that had stopped, honked it's horn. The light had turned green. Now was my chance to cross. Before I could take the first step however, a gust of wind blew straight at me, causing my head to turn reflexively in another direction. I raised my arms to block my face, hoping it would help to keep the wind out of my eyes, but it was in that moment that I saw him, ever so clearly, despite the darkness.

A boy about my age stood on the crossing bridge directly above the street. He sat on the railing with his legs hanging out, his gaze locked on the view below him.

I couldn't help but stare. What exactly was he doing high up there, sitting on the railing like that? Wasn't he afraid that he might fall? I knew I was. Heights practically scared me to death. I wouldn't have had the courage to sit high up like that.

The driver continued to honk his horn, waiting for me to cross already. I ignored him and kept my eyes locked on the strange boy who wore, from what it looked like, hospital clothes. It was the kind of outfit patients wore during their stay. The breeze swept his dark hair back, allowing me a brief glimpse of his face, and from what I saw, he was about to do something terrible.

I watched in horror as he released his grip from the railing, slowly leaning forward with his eyes closed. He was too far up to hear me and probably wouldn't listen anyways. There was also the fact that the metal staircase attached to the bridge was far away. Even if I did try running up there to stop him, it would've been too late by then. My eyes widened and I panicked, unsure of what I should do. Although it wasn't any of my business, watching someone die before my very eyes was in no way a hobby of mine.

Without thinking, I reached for the foot long daikon radish in my bag, mustering all the strength I could before hurling it straight at him. I watched as the vegetable hit him right in the face, knocking him off the railing and back onto the crossing bridge. I whispered a silent thank you to my father and Neji nii-san. The rigorous training I'd done in the dojo with them had actually paid off after all.

I ran for the staircase and climbed my way up, running to the boy who now laid unconscious upon the crossing bridge. I set down my grocery bags to examine him, brushing aside his long dark bangs. There was a large bump on his head, followed by pale skin, long eyelashes...a perfect nose and...thin...lips. My face flamed red the instant I realized the boy I had knocked out with a daikon radish was anything but a normal boy. He was a handsome youth, in other words, a _bishounen_. The strangest thing though was the fact that I felt like I'd met him somewhere before.

Fumbling around inside the pockets of my sweatshirt for my cellphone, I pulled it out, flipping open the mobile device and dialed.

"Yes? Er, hello? Um, I found an unconscious boy, b-but I can't carry him. D-do you think you can send an ambulance to our location?"

* * *

I stood, fidgeting around nervously in the hospital corrider, right outside the boy's door. I bit down hard on my bottom lip, tasting a bit of the blood that seeped itself onto my tongue. I scrunched up my face, grimacing at how bitter and metallic it tasted. My stomach growled noisily, and as hungry as I was, I had to find out first whether or not the boy was okay. It didn't seem right for me to just go home and eat when a boy I kind of saved from death, if not stupidly, was lying in a hospital bed, unconscious.

The door to his room slid open and the doctor, in her white coat, stepped out. I gasped upon the sight of her. Her eyes immediately landed on me.

"Are you the one who saved him?" she asked.

I nodded dumbly, too shocked by how beautiful she was. Nowadays, one hardly saw such a pretty female doctor. Her name tag read 'Tsunade'.

"And...is it true?" she asked, raising an eyebrow curiously.

"Is what true?"

She took a deep breath, as if to calm herself, her light-brown eyes intense. "The nurse told me just now that you'd told her what had happened." She crossed her arms over her chest and stood tall. "Is it true that you hit him with a daikon radish?"

Uh-oh, was she mad at me? Did I unknowingly injure an important patient of hers? I was scared to answer her honestly, but lying was a whole lot worse. "Yes," I squeaked, afraid that she might somehow lash at me out of anger.

I watched, terrified as her entire body shook. I was an idiot. Lying might have been the better option after all.

Much to my surprise however, the outburst she had foreshadowed consisted of nothing but laughter. She doubled over, holding onto her stomach. For her to laugh so hard must've been painful. I stood, waiting for her to finish. She straightened her posture, wiping at the tears in her eyes. Her face was flushed red from laughter.

"God," she laughed, breathless. "I'm so sorry about that, it's just...for that kid, what with his pride and all, to get hit in the face by a daikon radish of all things," she chuckled. "The very thought of it is hilarious. My only regret is not being there to actually see it."

I stepped forward this time, no longer sensing any danger from her. "Um...sensei, will he...will he be alright?"

She stopped wiping at her eyes to stare at me, a surprised look on her face. "Hm, why do you ask that?"

I looked down at my feet, unsure if I should continue. "Well, you know...he um..." She stopped smiling then, her earlier amusement replaced with something resembling anger.

"Oh, _that_." She suddenly switched back to her professional mode, flipping her tied long hair behind her back. "That boy, he's always causing trouble for me and the staff whenever he sneaks out." She turned to me, a serious look on her face. "To be honest, I shouldn't be telling you, a stranger of all people, about this, but since you technically saved his life and all, I guess you're entitled to know at least a little information about him." She cleared her throat. "Well, I should start with the fact that he's an exclusive patient of mine, not to mention an extremely stubborn and spoiled brat at that."

Just mentioning him seemed to irritate her.

"Anyways, he's...damn," she muttered to herself, "how should I put this? he's well...he's basically special is all I can say for now. He has a reason for trying to sneak out of the hospital every night, although, I can't say it's exactly the _best_ way to go about it." She sighed. "I'm sorry, it's a bit difficult for me to explain. I'm just not sure how far I should discuss the matters of a patient with another."

I shook my head and smiled at her. "It's fine, you don't have to tell me anything you don't want to. I just wanted to make sure that he was okay. That's really all I needed to know." She stared at me, her brown eyes analytical. I didn't want her to see that I was uncomfortable, so I decided to make my exit quick. "Well, I should be on my home by now, it's getting late." I bowed. "Thank you for your help, sensei. I'll take my leave now." As soon as I took that first step, she halted me with a "Wait."

"Yes?" I asked, trying hard to ignore the painful grumbling that went on inside my stomach.

"Your name," she stated, rather than asking.

"H-Hyuuga Hinata."

She rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "And what school do you go to, Hyuuga-san?"

"K-K-Konoha Academy," I stammered.

She grinned at me devilishly. "Hm...I see."

* * *

The minute I returned home, I threw myself onto the mattress in the living room, tired from today's earlier event. I turned on my back to stare up at the white ceiling. It reminded me of the hospital.

The doctor I met earlier was certainly strange. One minute she's serious, and then she starts laughing like she's going to die. What I didn't understand was why she had smiled at me like that. The very memory sent chills down my spine.

Sitting up, I pulled off my sweatshirt and socks. Now wasn't exactly the best time to be thinking about any of this. I was hungry, and school started in less than six hours.

* * *

**_Tsunade's POV:_**

I dialed his number, and waited patiently for him to pick up. When the line on the other end clicked, his voice was clearly heard, and I decided to start talking right then.

"Hello, Itachi? Yes, it's me, Tsunade. Do you remember that conversation we had about whether or not Sasuke should attend school? Oh yeah? Well about that, I found a school that may suit his needs just fine, so cancel out that all-boys school of yours or whatever. I honestly think that this school will be perfect for him."

**"Since it's you, I trust my brother will be in good care then?"**

"Of course, I found someone that may be able to help him."

**"Is that so? Well then, please do as you see fit."**

"My pleasure."


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hi there everyone! As you can see, I have another story up, which I hope everyone will enjoy as they read this tragic tale. And I'll be honest here, I picked up the plot from another manga, but only a bit of it since I didn't like the direction the manga had been going in. The rest of the story, however, is entirely mine. **

**Please enjoy :3**

* * *

I stood before the row of sakura trees, taking in the sweet scent of the cherry blossoms that littered the top of my head with their soft, pink petals. I smiled, glad to have such a beautiful view this early in the morning before going to school. It was the ultimate refresher for my body and mind. Spring was a beautiful year to look forward to, but so were the rest of the other seasons.

I turned around instinctively towards the sound of running footsteps, light and quick. Ino leaped to throw her arms around me, while planting a kiss on my cheek as well. Ino was half-American, so kissing was somewhat normal for her. At first, my mind had nearly exploded the first time she'd done it, but after awhile, I was finally able to get used to it.

"Good morning, Hinata!" she squealed. "Today is officially our second day of high school, so let's hope for the best, okay?" I nodded in response, watching the sakura petals as they drifted upon Ino's blond hair. I suppressed the desire to laugh. What made it funny was that she wasn't even aware of it. Reaching up, I gently brushed aside the soft petals, holding one up for her to see.

"Here," I offered.

She stared at it, confused. "Oh, was that on my head?" I smiled and nodded. She let out a short burst of laughter, her closed fist over her mouth. "God, imagine if I'd walked into the classroom like that. Talk about stupid!"

A thin pair of arms wrapped themselves around me, the scent of cherry blossoms stronger within my senses.

"What's so funny?" Sakura asked, flipping back her shoulder-length, pink hair. "Did I miss something?"

Ino leaned forward to flick Sakura lightly on the forehead. "Yeah, Hinata just saved me from a great deal of embarrassment," she grinned.

* * *

We entered the classroom together, with me following them from behind. To be honest, I was still shy. I literally knew three people in the class, the three of them coincidentally, being my childhood friends. My eyes roamed the classroom, scattered with students of all types. I gulped down the lump in my throat. As much as I wanted to try and make new friends, the very thought of making myself look like a fool in front of everyone was anything but tempting. My heart was ready to leap right from my mouth. Luckily, Naruto-kun was there, chatting and laughing amongst the other boys surrounding him.

The boys who stood around him, at least from what I remembered, were Inuzuka-san, Aburame-san, Nara-san, Lee-san, and Akimichi-san. From the grins and smiles on their faces, I could tell that they were all having a good time. Who wouldn't though? There was something about Naruto-kun that drew in the people around him. He was like a magnet with a positive attraction. Plus, whenever I saw him, my heart always seemed to calm down, even if it was just for a little bit. And within those few seconds, my heart would feel at peace.

Upon seeing us, or Sakura, Naruto-kun's eyes brightened immediately. I blushed, unable to resist how adorable he looked whenever he did that, or anything else really. He greeted her first before proceeding to greet us.

"Morning Ino!"

Ino glared at him quickly before snubbing him. She walked over to her desk and took her seat, turning her head in another direction. I was guessing that she was still mad at him for trampling over her flowers last week. Naruto-kun, of course, was oblivious to this, and only saw her grudge as a sign of being stuck-up. "Geez, what's her problem...?" he muttered. Turning his eyes on me, Naruto-kun then smiled. "Morning Hinata," he greeted.

"G-Good morning, Naruto-kun." I held my bag close to my chest. To think that he could still make me blush by being so close after all these years. I was surprised that I hadn't died of a heart-attack yet.

Reaching into the pocket of his gakuran jacket, he fished around, for what seemed like several minutes, before he pulled out a piece of plastic-wrapped candy. "Here you go, this is for you," he grinned, holding out the small piece of candy to me. "Peach is your favorite flavor, right?"

I held my hand out, allowing him to drop it into my palm. Closing my fingers around it, I brought it close to my chest and smiled at him. "Thank you."

Blushing, he lightly scratched the ridge of his nose, averting his gaze to the side. "Geez, you're embarrassing me. It's just a piece of candy."

* * *

I found class to be quite easy. It was about the same as junior high, the only difference was the amount of notes we had to take, which usually took up about four pages a notebook for each class.

I thoughtlessly twirled the mechanical pencil between my fingers, chewing on my bottom lip as I squinted at the front board that held important dates and events we'd need to know for the test. After jotting down another page full of notes, I closed my notebook, silently waiting, when finally the bell rang.

Sensei clapped his hands twice. "All right, everyone, lunch break! I'll be back in half-an-hour." Leaving the room, he slid the door shut behind him.

Desks were rearranged, groups of old friends and new friends together. Almost everyone had a bento, I was one of them.

Taking it out from inside my desk, I placed the three-tiered lunch box on top of the desk, untying the cloth that held everything in place. It always embarrassed me whenever Sakura and Ino "Oooooh-ed" and "Ahhhh-ed," just like they were doing now. Their eyes were practically sparkling. It wasn't until I removed the lid that they started drooling.

"Rice with black beans and cherry tomatos," Sakura gasped quietly.

"Octopus-shaped sausages with sliced omelet," Ino said breathless.

"Fried shrimp and fox-shaped onigiri!" Naruto cried, his blue eyes sparkling like that of a child's.

Ino and Sakura sent him flying across the room by punching him directly in the face. "None for you!" they growled in unison.

"Oh, c'mon, I just a want a bite of it, that's all!"

They both glared at him. I decided to intervene before anything else could happen. "Sakura, Ino, it's fine. I made a lot anyways, so why don't we just share with Naruto-kun?"

They stared at me for a bit before turning back to glare at him. "Fine," they muttered.

"But I call the tomatoes," said Sakura.

"Omelet," said Ino.

"Onigiri!" said Naruto-kun.

The four of us pushed our desks together. I set out the lunch boxes and gave everyone their own pair of chopsticks.

"Itadakimasu!"

* * *

After lunch, everyone sat back in their chairs. They rubbed their stomachs, Naruto-kun in particular, full and satisfied.

"Oh, I'm so full," Sakura moaned.

"I'm sleepy," Ino yawned.

Smiling, Naruto-kun turned to look at me. "That was really delicious, Hinata. I get jealous whenever I think about the guy who's going to become your husband someday." His voice was sincere, "You'd make the perfect wife."

Blushing, I concentrated my gaze directly towards the floor, too embarrassed to look directly at him. I was about to say thank you when suddenly, an announcement was made over the PA system.

"**Hyuuga Hinata-san, I repeat, Hyuuga Hinata-san. The headmistress wishes to see you in her office, immediately**."

All eyes turned on me, confused. I was just as confused as well.

* * *

The school was by far huge, in comparison to the elementary and middle school I'd attended. I roamed the halls aimlessly, wondering which way the headmistress's office was. It was only my second day in school, so I was anything but familiar with what stood where.

Nervous, I read the signs above the doors of every room I had passed. Minutes went by, and still, no sign of the headmistress's office. With a sigh, I leaned out an open window, dangling my arms against the side of the building. This was the first floor, so luckily, I didn't have to worry about falling out and killing myself.

Speaking of the headmistress, I wondered what it was that she wanted with me? It was only the second day of school. Had I done something wrong? Was she asking to see me personally because of my current living arrangements? I shook my head. No, that couldn't be it. A student could live in a cardboard box for all they cared, as long as the student attended school regularly like they were supposed to. It wasn't up to anyone within the school system to decide where a student should live. I lightly nibbled on the tip of my thumbnail, thoughtful. So what could it have been then?

I decided to take this chance to explore the school halls while I could, as well as find the headmistress's office.

Konoha Academy was a large campus, consisting of three levels, with fifty-five classrooms. There were at least two bathrooms on each floor, followed by several staircases, a large gymnasium, cafeteria, and a courtyard that held a large, ivory-white fountain spouting water in the center of it all. Sakura trees lined the long path, that was the entrance, towards the school. Colorful hydrangea bushes bloomed along the school's iron-wrought gates. The school itself was built like any other on the outside, simple, the way a high school would look. But behind the large building stood a greenhouse, ornate, and shaped like a birdcage. A large pond sat just a few feet away from it, with koi swimming about and splashing gaily. Water lilies were scattered across the water's surface, the white flowers in full bloom as the small frogs sat upon them, croaking.

As they said, looks certainly could be deceiving.

Tired, I took it upon myself to rest against the nearest wall. I tucked the hem of my skirt underneath my legs before sitting down in a squatting position. An hour had already passed, and I still couldn't find the office. What was wrong with me? Was I directionally-challenged or something? I sat with my shoulders slumped and sighed. "I'm such an idiot..." The clock hanging on the wall across from me read one thirty-five. I missed about an hour's worth of class time. Groaning, I shook my head in frustration. It wasn't until a voice called out to me that I looked up.

"Are you alright?"

A pretty lady stood before me, most likely in her twenties, with short black hair and eyes. She had a kind smile. "Do you not feel well?"

I immediately stood up, embarrassed. From the way I'd been sitting, it was only normal for her to assume that I was sick or something. "Oh n-no! I-I'm fine, really!"

She tilted her head to the side to get a good look at me. Then, as if a light-bulb had popped up beside her head, she asked "Might you be Hyuuga-san?"

"Y-Yes, why do you ask?"

She smiled. "The headmistress has been looking for you," she answered calmly.

"Oh, a-about that, I-!"

"Don't worry, she's not angry. Actually, she's quite eager to see you. I assume that you were lost within the school building?"

I nodded like the idiot I was and she smiled. "I don't blame you for getting lost, this school is quite big after all." She gestured with her hand for me to follow. "Come, I'll show you where her office is at."

* * *

We entered a rather large and lavishly furnished room, that was supposed to be an office, with furniture that looked as though it had been imported directly from Italy.

I stepped inside, only to be hit with the strong scent of potpourri in the air. A thick red carpet covered the floor, followed by velvety-curtains of the same color with a large window overlooking the courtyard. Awards hung on the sides of the walls, with plaques and important-looking pieces of papers encased within a brass or wooden frame. At the end of the room in the very center sat a large, mahogany desk, and behind it, a large office-chair made from leather.

The door behind me closed shut. I turned to see that the nice lady had already left. Oh, how badly I wanted to leave as well.

"You certainly took your time, Hyuuga-san," said a familiar voice. I stood, frozen in place.

"I-I'm sorry, I got lost and-"

"It's fine," she replied. She swiveled around in her chair to face me head-on, a smile gracing her features. "I was the one who asked for you anyways."

"Sensei!"I cried. "Y-You're the headmistress?"

"Of course," she grinned. "If one is able to excel in life, then one should be permitted to hold multiple positions."

"But w-what about the hospital-?"

"I have the day off, so I decided to come and visit the school, that's all."

"O-Oh, I see..." First she was a doctor, and then the headmistress of the school? Exactly who was this woman?

"Actually," she began, still smiling, "I've asked you here for a reason."

"Y-Yes?"

She gestured with her finger for me to come forward and take a seat. I did as I was told. "Um...I apologize for my boldness, but...did I do something wrong? Am I in trouble?"

She laughed, shaking her head. "Of course not, whatever gave you that idea?"

I blushed. "I-I'm sorry, please forget what I said."

Coughing to clear her throat, she placed her folded hands on top of the desk, a serious look on her face. "Now then, I'll get straight to the point." She took in a deep breath before speaking. "Hyuuga-san, I need your help."

"Eh?"

She scratched the side of her head, a thoughtful look on her face. "Well, to be more precise, I need you to look after someone for me."

I tilted my head to the side to look at her. "You mean like...babysit?"

She again laughed, despite trying to hold it back after what I'd just said. "Yeah, something like that."

I stared at her quizzically. Something didn't seem right here.

"Well, do you think you can do it?"

I knitted my eyebrows together, confused. What I didn't understand was why a woman of such high-standing would even think to ask someone like me for a favor. "Ano..."

"I assure you that he won't interfere with your studies. Besides, he's most likely able to hold his own, concerning that area at least.

"Oh, well then-" I stopped myself short, upon realizing what she'd just said. "Wait, um...did you...did you just say '_he_'?"

She smiled. "That's right, as of tomorrow, a new student will be transferring into your class."

"But, I thought-!"

"You thought what, that you would be babysitting a child?" she smirked. "I never said anything like that, it was your own assumption."

"But I don't understand, why do you need me to-?"

"Because you're the only one I could think of to take on this job. I mean, you saved him before, didn't you?"

My mouth dropped open in shock, and in that instant, a clear image of the boy I'd seen only yesterday appeared in my mind. How could I have forgotten about him?

The headmistress smiled. "So, wouldn't that mean that he's _your_ responsibility now?"

* * *

Upon my return to the classroom, I was suddenly greeted with a barrage of questions from Sakura, Ino, and Naruto.

"What happened, did you get in trouble?"

"What did she call you to her office for?"

"Was she mean to you?"

I shook my head to answer the three of them. They all sighed with relief.

In the room, Kakashi-sensei coughed for our attention. "Excuse me, but we still have an hour left before class ends. And Hyuuga-san, I've already received notice from the headmistress. So if you all would, I'd appreciate it if you took your seats."

"Hai," we answered.

"We'll talk about this later," Sakura whispered.

* * *

"YOU HAVE TO **WHAT**?!" Ino cried.

"That's ridiculous!" Sakura scoffed. "Is she even allowed to do that? I don't care if she is the headmistress, but for her to ask a student to do such a thing," her voice held disgust. "That's just not right."

"Why you?" Ino asked. "Doesn't she have anyone else to bother?"

I set down the tray of green tea, passing them both their own cup. "She said that she couldn't think of anyone else to ask for help," I replied, which was true. "And besides, I don't mind. It's nice to have a woman of such high-standing find me useful." That part was only half-true.

"But that's what I _don't _understand," Sakura said while lightly sipping at her hot tea. "She doesn't even _know _you, so why would she ask a complete stranger for help? No offense, Hinata."

"Well, we're not exactly _complete_ strangers."

Ino paused with her cup in midair. "You mean, you've met her before?"

I nodded. The headmistress hadn't said anything about having to keep it a secret, so telling Sakura and Ino should've been okay.

After giving them the full and long explanation, minus the suicide part, I told them everything. About her other job as a doctor, a patient she needed me to watch over due to his weak heart, and the fact that he would be transferring into our class as of tomorrow morning.

They stared at me, speechless.

Sakura held up a hand, looking a bit confused. "Wait a minute, let me get this straight, he has a weak heart you say?"

"Yes."

"You never mentioned that," Ino frowned. I thought you were assigned to watch over a spoiled brat. I didn't know he was _sick_."

Sakura's eyes took on a sad look. "Poor guy, he must feel lonely," she muttered. "Hinata, how long has it been since he's attended a school?"

I racked my brain for an answer, recalling the information the headmistress had given me. "Um...I think it was three years, or something like that."

"Whoa, talk about socially-retarded!" Ino fell on her back to stretch out her arms and legs, letting loose a wide yawn. "Man, I'm tired."

"I wouldn't call him...that." I stood up to get out the futons from my closet. "But the headmistress did tell me that he's a little shy."

Ino let out a short laugh. "What, you mean like you?" I blushed, frowning in disapproval of her teasing me. Sakura came over to help me, hefting both futons over her shoulders.

"You know, I think I know why the headmistress chose you now though," she mumbled thoughtfully.

"And why's that?" Ino asked.

Sakura smiled at me, her eyes full of love and warmth. "Do you really need to even ask?"

* * *

**_Sasuke's POV:_**

"Sasuke, you're not mad at me, are you?"

I ignored my brother, trying to tune him out by listening to the music. Cranking up the volume on my ipod any louder would've given me a headache, so I didn't bother. I honestly hated him at the moment, and especially that damn doctor of mine as well.

"Sasuke," he sighed. "You're being unreasonable. She's only doing this for your well-being. You need to get out anyways, while you still can. Go to school and make some friends or something. It's better than staying up here in your room all day doing practically nothing." I continued to ignore him, drumming my fingers along with the beat of the music, tapping on the cover of the book in my lap.

In an instant, the music disappeared, my ears meeting only silence.

My brother stood, looming above me, glaring. I shot him a glare of my own. "Give it back," I said through clenched teeth.

His face remained expressionless. "I'll give it back as soon as I see that you've made at least one friend."

I turned away and muttered "Bastard..."

"I heard that," he replied, causing me to cringe.

Tomorrow was going to be hell, I just knew it.


	3. Chapter 3

* * *

Blue skies and a beautiful sunny day. Exactly what more could I ask for?

As usual, I greeted Sakura and Ino outside of the school, the three of us heading into the building together. Upon opening our shoe lockers, Ino was the first to be greeted with a surprise early in the morning.

"What's that?" Sakura asked.

Blushing, Ino laughed out loud, trying to cover up her embarrassment. "What do you mean 'what'? It's a love-letter of course!"

I blushed as well, surprised at how bold the person was for placing the letter in her locker.

"What?" Sakura looked unconvinced. "That's impossible, it's only the third day of school."

Ino continued laughing. I thought it cute of how embarrassed she was, considering how bold she usually presented herself as.

"Nothing's impossible when it comes to me. I'm smart _and_ beautiful, what more could a guy want?"

Sakura stifled a laugh. "More like an idiot."

"What'd you say, forehead?!"

* * *

Upon entering the classroom last as I usually did, I was greeted cheerfully by the boy that resembled a dog, no offense to him of course.

"Hi there," he grinned. "You're Hinata, right?"

I blushed and nodded. I wasn't quite accustomed when it came to speaking to boys, other than Naruto-kun and nii-san.

"I'm Kiba, Inuzuka Kiba." He offered his hand for me to shake. "Nice to meet you."

I timidly shook hands with him, not wanting to leave him standing there while I stood frozen like the idiot I was. "Y-Yoroshiku ne?"

His eyes sparkled the second I said these words. "Man, Naruto was right, you really are cu-"

"Oi, Kiba!" Naruto-kun called to him. He waved at me as well and smiled that heart-warming smile of his.

Inuzuka-kun scratched the back of his head sheepishly. I found the gesture similar to that of Naruto, and could not help but stare at him. He caught my stare and blushed, his gaze darting from side-to-side nervously. "Sorry, we'll talk more later. I-If that's okay with you of course."

I smiled and nodded. "That would be nice." To be honest, I had a feeling as to where this was heading, but right now wasn't the time to deal with it. I had other things to take care of before getting myself involved with someone romantically.

The classroom door slid open, the familiar sound of sensei's footsteps entering the room.

For example-

"All right everyone, I'd like it if you all took your seats for the moment. I have a new student to introduce today." Once everyone did as they were told, sensei cleared his throat before planting both hands firmly on the top of his desk. "I'll let you all in on this now, your new classmate is _special_, so please regard him warmly with as much kindness as you can." He coughed again to clear his throat. "Okay, you can come in now."

-him.

There were hushed whispers all around the room, but those hushed whispers fell silent the second our new classmate stepped into the room. I recognized the sweeping-dark hair and eyes, the pale and thin figure. What I had no recollection of however was the slightly annoyed look his face held. The last time I'd seen him, he'd been peacefully unconcious after getting knocked out by my dinner. His face seemed so serene then, yet there was no trace of it left at all.

"Introduce yourself," sensei urged.

The boy frowned. "Uchiha Sasuke."

"Hobbies?" Sensei pressed for him to continue. The boy however seemed finish, as he said nothing. Sensei sighed. "Anyways, take the empty seat over there. Hyuuga, if you would, please raise your hand."

My eyes widened in shock. It was then that I realized I shouldn't have been so surprised after all. For Kakashi-sensei to have placed the new student beside me was no coincidence. He must've already known what the circumstances were concerning us. It was only natural that he would do so.

_How nice of him_... I thought to myself.

**Meanwhile with Kakashi:**

_The girls all look like they want to eat the boy up. It's probably best if I put him beside Hyuuga. She's not drooling at least..._

**Back to Hinata:**

The boy practically dragged himself over to the empty desk beside me, hands shoved in the pockets of his slacks. Pulling the chair out, he took his seat, leaning foward on the desk with his elbow and sat quietly. Seconds ticked by as everyone stared at him, mostly the girls, with hearts in their eyes.

Sensei coughed. "Uh, I guess we should begin class for now. I'll have someone take you for a tour around the school later." He raised the piece of chalk in his hand to the board and began writing notes.

* * *

To be honest, I wasn't surprised as I should've been when I, along with the new student, was called to the headmistress's office. Sakura, Ino, and Naruto-kun looked after me with dissapointment. I urged them to go ahead and eat first. Waiting was pointless when it came to lunchtime.

Uchiha-san stepped out first, which allowed me to step out after him. I gently slid the door shut as we both stood in the hallway, silent. Seeing him up-close like this, as well as him being conscious, felt somewhat awkward. I found it a bit strange, if not fascinating that a boy my age could actually be so handsome, but then again, handsome didn't seem to be enough to describe him. He was in a way...beautiful-for a boy that is. I found Naruto-kun adorable, but Uchiha-san gave off a different sort of aura. His eyes held a hostility that I couldn't quite put my finger on. Those deep-black eyes, like onyx. They seemed to burn with an intensity like that of fire. It was quite scary actually. I wasn't so sure of what to do now.

"U-Um..."I began, struggling to think of what to say, but he immediately cut me off with a sharp look.

"Well, where's her office?"

"Oh, um...it's-"

"If you have the time to talk, then at least take me there first," he growled. His voice held obvious annoyance. From the way he was looking at me, I could tell he didn't know who I was. That certainly wasn't good. I suddenly had the feeling as to why the headmistress was calling us to her office. I slumped my head forward as we walked, with him following me from behind.

This definitely wasn't good.

* * *

"This is pointless," he stated with a straight face, although the annoyance in his voice betrayed him as he spoke. "Why do I need some girl following me around school all day?" he asked with a slight frown. "Is it really that enjoyable for you to mess with me whenever you can?"

I gaped at him open-mouthed, shocked at the tone of voice he'd used towards her ever since we entered her office. Not only was she the headmistress, but a doctor, his doctor, who'd taken care of him the day I knocked him out with my dinner.

The headmistress forced a smile, several veins throbbing near her temple. "You've certainly got a lot of nerve to speak to me like that, you damn brat. Especially since we're in school and all."

He ignored her. "Look, as I've already said, no thanks. It's bad enough that I have a classroom full of girls staring after me, I don't need you to attach another one."

Her expression was suddenly triumphant, if not devilish. "Oh? But your brother's already agreed to this," she grinned, folding her hands to rest her chin upon as she leaned forward on her elbows. "I'd say you don't have much of a choice but to go along with what I've suggested is best for you."

He glared at her. She smiled. It was pretty obvious as to who had won the battle.

* * *

Ino stared out the window of my apartment, releasing a wistful sigh. "Wow, talk about handsome," she muttered, twirling strands of blond hair around her finger. Sakura sat beside her as the two continued to daydream, their cheeks flushed red. I set down their cups of tea for them, taking my seat at the low table.

"You're so lucky, Hinata!" Ino cried, pulling at her hair. "Getting to hang around a hottie like that all day, I'd kill to be in your shoes right about now!"

"Honestly," Sakura scoffed "is that all you can think about?" She blew softly into her cup of tea before taking a sip. I repositioned myself to reach for the rice-cracker basket, snatching one to munch on.

Ino stuck her tongue out at the other girl. "Like you're not thinking the same thing as I am, forehead!" Sakura leaped forward to tackle her, her fingers grabbing hold of Ino's waist as she tickled her stomach.

"What'd you say, pig?" Sakura grinned as she continued tickling Ino in all of her weak spots. Ino rolled around madly on the floor with laughter, her eyes filled with tears as she begged for Sakura to stop. I smiled as I watched the two, despite the dread I felt towards tomorrow.

* * *

"Try to keep away from me as much as possible," he whispered in a low voice while taking his seat. I kept my eyes glued on the blank open notebook in front of me, unsure of what to write about inside. It had only happened yesterday when Inuzuka-kun had suddenly asked to do an exchange diary with me. We we're still getting to know each other as classmates, so I didn't see any harm done in exchanging diaries with him. I happily accepted, foolishly forgetting that we would be sharing thoughts with one another.

"Oi, are you listening?" he asked in an irritated tone.

A thought suddenly filled my head as I answered him, while at the same time wrote down my first entry in the notebook. "K-Keep away from you, r-right?"

He said nothing and stared straight ahead towards the front of the classroom, his eyes focused on the board as the class-representative wrote down upcoming events that would soon take place for the first years.

"Uchiha-?"

"Don't listen to what that old hag says," he said, cutting me off. "I can take care of myself."

"Th-that may be true, but the headmistress s-specifically asked me t-to-"

He shot me a glare, the look in his eyes signaling that his word was final. I squeaked, immediately covering my mouth with my hands.

**X**

_Journal entry 1: Hinata_

_Dear Inuzuka-kun,_

_I am an idiot._


	4. Chapter 4

It's already been one week since I've secretly continued to watch over Uchiha-san, under his ord-I mean _request _to stay away from him.

"Hyuuga-san, how has Sasuke been so far?"

I fidgeted under her questioning yet curious look. The headmistress popped a piece of chocolate into her mouth. She offered me a piece as well. I declined as politely as I could. "W-Well, regarding Uchiha-san, he's d-doing fine."

She raised an eyebrow in suspicion. "Are you sure?" I nodded. She let out a sigh of relief and sat back in her chair with her head thrown back. "Thank goodness for that," she breathed "I can finally relax now." She stretched her arms and yawned. "That boy is the reason I can never get any sleep. What with being his doctor and all, it's troublesome to have a patient with suicidal tendencies." She smiled at me. "You're great, you know that?"

I blushed at her words. "N-No, I only-"

"But you really are, Hyuuga-san. Most people would have refused the job right away. I mean, no one in this day-and-age would want to babysit someone with a medical condition like his. It's mostly due to the responsibility they'd have to shoulder, y'know?"

_But you practically forced me to!_ Of course, I said nothing and kept this to myself, nodding here and there every few seconds, missing bits of the one-sided conversation she was having with me. I was tired. I just wanted to go home.

"I hope you'll do me the favor and continue watching over him for me."

I nodded and forced a smile to make it look as natural as I could.

* * *

Upon returning home, I unlocked the door, opened it, and staggered my way inside. The room felt a bit warm, so I walked over to the window, sliding it open to let in the afternoon breeze. Content, I sighed. It felt good.

"Hm...what should I eat tonight?" I went into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator door. There was left over miso soup and an unopened, cheap 12-piece pack of sushi. I closed the door and went over to the cabinets. I was always stocked with plenty of tea, so no worries there, but the second my eyes landed on the pack of sardines, I knew it was time to do some grocery shopping.

Grabbing my wallet, I headed outside.

* * *

"E-Excuse me, ojisan!" I called to the middle-aged man standing behind the counter with his back to me. He was busy cutting up fish and didn't turn around until I called out to him a second time. His eyes bulged instantly the moment he saw me. Wiping his hands on the front of his stained apron, he came forward, approaching me with a smile.

"Hello there, miss. What can I do for you?"

"Oh, u-um I was just wondering which fish is the ch-cheapest."

He scratched his chin thoughtfully. "Cheapest, huh? Well, this one here cost 500 yen."

"Ah, I-I'll take that one then." He grinned, leaning forward on the counter top.

"Tight budget?" he asked. I nodded. "If it's fine with you, miss, I don't mind giving you three of them, and all for the cost of only 600 yen."

My eyes widened in shock. "R-Really?"

"Sure," he winked. "It's not everyday that a girl as cute as you comes around. I usually get old ladies, not that I mind them of course, it's just nicer to see some youth around here." I blushed.

After cutting and wrapping my fish up for me, I payed the kind gentleman and politely bowed. "Th-Thank you, ojisan," I smiled.

He smiled in return. "Come again anytime, you're always welcome here." I waved goodbye before leaving.

* * *

"Itadakimasu." I picked up my pair of chopsticks and began eating. I had prepared fried fish, making sure that it was brown and crispy, and added a spicy, yet somewhat sour sauce on top of it. There was also the left over miso soup that I'd heated up, and some pickled yam on the side. It only took me a few minutes to devour the food before me. I was certainly hungrier than I thought I'd been.

Picking up the dishes, I went into the kitchen to properly wash and clean everything up. Afterwards, I headed for the bathroom to take a soak in the bathtub, despite how small and cramped it was for one person.

Changing into a white t-shirt and black shorts, I threw myself onto my bed, breathing in the sweet scent that my pillow carried due to my freshly washed hair. I turned on my side and sighed. I did not look forward to seeing Uchiha-san again.

* * *

"Err, if it's alright with you, would it...would it be okay to call you by your first name?" Inuzuka-kun looked at me sheepishly, his face flushed red. I couldn't help but blush in return. It felt really embarrassing for some reason, but I nodded anyways. He pumped a fist in the air, as if he'd just won the best prize ever. His eyes sparkling, he took my hands in his. "Since we're already on a first-name basis here anyways, you can just call me Kiba," he grinned.

"Ki..." he urged me to go on and say it. "Ki...Kiba...kun?"

Both our faces went red in that instant. I immediately excused myself from the classroom, much too embarrassed by the strange exchange we'd had between us just then. Class wouldn't start in another ten minutes.

* * *

With Uchiha-san sitting beside me only a few feet away, I chewed nervously on the tip of my mechanical pencil, wondering how I'd be able to follow him around again for the rest of the day. There was a possible chance that I could get caught by him this time and if such a thing were to happen, what would he do then? My face went blue in horror and I began feeling queasy.

Sensei set his planner down and announced to us that it was now lunchtime. Once he left the classroom, friends immediately pushed their desks together, pulling out their bentos. Uchiha-san stood up and left the classroom as well.

I looked around and quickly pulled out the usual three-tiered lunch box, setting it before Sakura, Ino, and Naruto-kun. As always, their faces held dissapointment when they realized that once again, I wouldn't be able to join them for lunch.

"Geez Hinata, what's with you?" Ino asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Do you really expect us to continue and enjoy your homemade lunch without you?" Sakura frowned, her eyes sad. "It's not fair, y'know? Considering that you cooked it and all too."

Naruto-kun pouted. For some reason, I could see fox ears on his head. "C'mon Hinata, eat with us!" he pleaded, his beautiful blue eyes sparkling. I had to stop myself from drooling mentally at him and shook my head, giving them my most apologetic look.

"I'm sorry everyone, but I really can't today." I glanced at the door, anxious to leave. It was Ino's turn to frown this time.

"This doesn't have anything to do with that new student, does it?" Sakura's reaction towards Ino's words made me realize that she had immediately figured it out. Her eyes turned into slits. I gulped.

"Hinata..." she began, but before she had the chance to finish, I made a beeline for the classroom door and ran out.

* * *

As usual, Uchiha-san sat where he always sat at for lunch-on the school rooftop.

I quietly snuck my way out the door, closing it with little force as possible so as to not make a sound. I hid behind the concrete wall to his left and watched as he ate a white bun in silence. The bun looked very tempting to eat.

It's not that I wanted to go about it this way, following him in secret like this, but it couldn't be helped. Uchiha-san had made it clear that he didn't want me near him, but I didn't exactly have a choice in the matter, especially when the request came from a woman of such high-standing. That, and the fact that I was a pushover.

Positioning myself to sit comfortably with my back against the wall, I drew in and hugged my legs, resting my chin atop my knees. My stomach growled in hunger. I was starving! I could've brought something to eat with me, but the chances of him hearing me chew and swallow were very high. I didn't want to blow my cover. I groaned, sad. It seemed I was going to have yet another big dinner again tonight.

As I wallowed in my despair, something soft and warm bounced off the top of my head. I looked down to see an unopened and plastic-wrapped bun. When I looked up, Uchiha-san passed right by me and muttered in an annoyed voice.

"I can hear you, stupid."


	5. Chapter 5

With a sigh, he shook his head. "Look, if you're going to be that persistent about it, then fine. Do whatever the hell you want." He lazily flipped through the textbook on his desk, barely able to properly sit up. The two of us were assigned for clean-up duty today. Everyone else had already gone home.

"I'm sorry," I apologized while bowing my head. "B-But please bear with me for the r-rest of the year."

"Whatever," he muttered, standing up. "Just don't get in my way."

It was only a few seconds later that I'd realized he'd left me alone in the classroom.

* * *

"Tired?" Sakura asked. She bent down to press her forehead against mine. "Hm, you don't have a fever..." she murmured to herself.

Ino slammed down her empty cup on the table top, biting into a cracker as she spoke. "I don't care how pretty he is," she frowned, reaching for Sakura's cup to drink from. "To think that he left you all alone during clean up duty-the jerk," she spat. Sakura snatched her cup away from the other girl before she had the chance to drink it and brought the rim up to her lips, a frown on her face as well.

"Ino's right, Hinata," she said. Her eyes held dissapproval. "I mean, it's not like you're being paid or anything, so I don't really see the point in you watching over him."

"Why don't you just ask the headmistress to quit?" Ino suggested. "It's not too late, right?"

I shook my head. "Oh no, I could never do that."

They both stared at me. "Why not?"

The memory from that night was surprisingly vivid in my mind. Uchiha-san, sitting on the railing, leaning forward, attempting to commit suicide... my stomach twisted with terror at the very thought of it.

I looked up to see Sakura and Ino still staring at me, their stares intense with interest. They wanted to hear more. But something as big as this-could I really tell them? It wasn't that I didn't trust them or anything, rather...had it been me, I wouldn't have wanted anyone to find out about such a thing. Such things...they're so terrible that they should always be kept a secret, no matter what the circumstances were.

I shut away the memory and smiled at them. "Because..."

I meant every word I'd said.

"...I want to help him."

* * *

"Morning Hinata!"

I turned around to properly greet Kiba-kun and bowed my head. "Good morning, Kiba-kun."

Naruto-kun came up from behind Kiba-kun and had him in a headlock.

"Oi, I don't remember giving you permission to be so friendly with my Hinata," he growled. Sakura hit him from behind in the back of the head.

"Hurry up and get into your seat you moron."

Naruto-kun trudged away as told, dragging Kiba-kun after him. Sakura turned to me and put her hands on her hips. "Exactly when did the two of you get on a first-name basis?"

"Eh?" I blushed. "Well...a-about two days ago, actually..."

Ino put her arm around me and grinned. "Finally got yourself a boyfriend, did ya?"

My blush worsened as the two laughed at me, patting and hugging me with affection.

* * *

I sat across from Uchiha-san at a table. We were currently in the school library, looking up reference materials for a project we were assigned to do together. Save for about three to four others, we were the only two in our corner, with a nice view near the large window. I flipped through my book, shocked at how much English there was in it, and less Japanese. I was even more shocked to see Uchiha-san with a stack of five books, each twice the size of the one I had.

_He must be really smart_... I felt a bit of jealousy towards him, but quickly dismissed my thoughts, watching as Uchiha-san shut the book to move onto the next one. We sat in silence. Only the quiet humming of the air conditioner could be heard.

I leaned forward in my seat to get a better look at him. For a boy, rather than handsome...he was more...

_His eyelashes are so long_, I thought to myself, playing with a lock of my hair. _And his hair's so smooth, it almost looks like silk_. _His eyes are really pretty too. They're so deep, endless almost. Their darkness fits perfectly with his skin tone_...

"Stop it."

His voice broke me free from my reverie. I sat straight up, tense. "Y-Yes?"

"You're staring at me," he sighed.

Blushing, I nodded and kept to myself for the rest of the day.

* * *

Upon following Uchiha-san to the shoe locker bay, I gasped in surprise as he opened his locker. From it poured forth hundreds of gifts, all piling up into a large mound on the floor. Love letters, home-baked sweets, and wrapped-up presents in small, white boxes, complete with a cute, red bow as a finishing touch. Uchiha-san merely stared at them, and in less than a second, turned to leave.

I glanced between Uchiha-san and the pile of heartfelt gifts, confused. "Y-You're not going to take them?" I asked, feeling sorry for the girls that had taken their time into preparing the gifts for him.

He turned to stare at me, his eyes reflecting complete indifference.

"No," he merely stated. "And even if I were to take them, it would be impossible for me to carry all of _that_." As he turned on his heel to leave, he said to me over his shoulder "If you want, feel free to take them in my place."

I half-heartedly accepted the offer. At least the food would fill my cabinets for the next few weeks. However, I wasn't so sure about what to do with the letters and presents.

* * *

"Oh no, it's finally happened!" Ino cried in horror.

Sakura had just stepped out of the shower and was drying her wet hair with a towel. "What?" she asked.

I reached out to put a hand on Ino's shoulder to calm her down, but she suddenly stood up and began bawling. "The guys have already started to notice how cute she is! For all we know, some moron will come along and snatch her away from us!" She threw herself at me and held onto me from around the waist. "Don't be fooled by them, Hinata. Men are nothing but pigs! If you accept their gifts, then that means that you're accepting their love!"

Sakura rolled her eyes. "You're being ridiculous. Weren't you listening to what she said earlier?"

Ino blinked. "About what?"

"If you stopped watching so much goddamn T.V then maybe you'd have the time to actually study or at least _listen _to someone when they're talking!" Sakura roared.

The blond covered her ears and grimaced. "No need to yell, pinky. Geez, who are you, my mom?"

Sakura jumped on her to grab the other girl by her cheeks and stretch them out. "Did those words come out of _this _mouth?" she growled.

"Ow! Shwop it! It huwts, it huwts!" Ino cried out in pain.

I moved on to the next bag of cookies, discarding the wrapping in the trashcan behind me.

* * *

Upon my arrival to school that morning, I came upon a group of unfamiliar girls in my classroom. They were all surrounding the desk next to mine. I knew for a fact who the person in the center was.

"You're only a first-year, right?"

"Wow, the girls weren't kidding when they said you were cute."

"I'm ranked number one in my class. If you'd like, I can help you study."

"Do you wanna go somewhere after school today?"

"If you want, I can take you to this new restaurant that just opened recently. My treat."

"Where do you live?"

"What's your blood-type?"

"Wanna exchange email addresses?"

I wasn't sure if they were aware of it or not, but there was a foul aura surrounding Uchiha-san. It continued to grow by the second as the girls stood there, having their one-sided conversation with him. Panic gripped at me. For one with a health condition such as his, it wasn't very healthy for his body, nor mentally, that negative thoughts and feelings overcame him. Unsure of what to do, I took out my wallet and performed a trick Hanabi had taught me not too long ago.

"L-Look everyone! This is my cousin, d-don't you think he's h-handsome?" This of course wasn't really a trick, but rather something Hanabi did to make Neji nii-san mad in retaliation.

_I'm sorry nii-san!_

The girls turned around as soon as I said the word 'handsome.' Upon seeing the photo, their eyes went wide as they scrambled around me to get a better and up-close look at it.

"Whoa, who is this hottie!"

"How old is he?"

"Do you have his number?"

I pulled the picture from my wallet and quickly handed it to them while informing them of the number on the back. Neji nii-san would surely have my head later, but desperate times called for desperate measures, or something like that. With the girls distracted, I whispered for Uchiha-san to quickly escape while he could. He stood up and walked right past the girls. I followed him outside the door.

I'd have to give sensei a reason later for my late arrival to class.

* * *

"You're weird, you know that?"

I blinked and stared at him quizzically. "Thank...you?"

"That wasn't a compliment, you know."

"Oh."

We sat in silence. I wasn't surprised at all to see that Uchiha-san had chosen the school's library as a place to take refuge. He seemed to enjoy reading. That and the fact that hardly anyone ever came to the library.

Hidden behind a large bookcase in the very back of the room, Uchiha-san and I sat about five feet away from each other. I hugged my legs, trying to think up various excuses to give to Kakashi-sensei. I did not want to get into trouble when we returned to the classroom. I heard Uchiha-san sigh and turned to look at him. He was leaning against the rows of books on display, his body posture more laid back compared to earlier. He looked tired.

"A-Ano...are you alright, Uchiha-san?"

"Hn, I'm just...tired. And those girls didn't exactly help me by ruining my quiet morning."

I tried to keep myself from laughing, remembering his deathly aura from earlier. "B-but that's because you're popular."

He shot me a look. "I never asked to be."

Silence overcame us once again. I found it awkward to say anything else. I reached behind myself to pull a random book from the shelf to read. Upon seeing the title, _Sensual Tales for The Body, _I immediately flushed red and put it back, hoping Uchiha-san hadn't seen it. Why was that kind of book here in a school library of all places?

Blushing, I covered my face in embarrassment. I definitely learned my lesson when it came to picking a book the lazy way. It wasn't until Uchiha-san spoke that I looked up to make sure I'd heard him right.

"By the way...thanks," he muttered.

I couldn't help but smile upon hearing his words of gratitude. "You're welcome."

Turning on his side, Uchiha-san sat, leaning against the bookcase with his back facing me. "Wake me up in thirty minutes," he murmured.

My mouth dropped open. "E-Eh? You're going t-to sleep? _Here_?"

The only reply I'd been given was the sound of his soft snoring.

* * *

**A/N: I know this is random and all, but has anyone heard Taylor Swift's _Love Story_? When I first heard the song, I could not stop smiling and going "Awwww..." Great song. Ahem, anyways, aside from that, what are your thoughts on the story so far? Please be honest. Honesty will always be appreciated, so long as you're reading this story because you like it, not because you want to flame me.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	6. Chapter 6

It was free period.

"Hinata, why do you always follow that guy around?"

I turned around ever so slowly, only to come face-to-face with Naruto-kun who sat on the desk behind me. I closed the exchange diary I'd been doing with Kiba-kun for the past three weeks and tucked it inside my desk, making a mental note to myself to finish the entry later.

"Y-You mean Uchiha-san?"

He rolled his eyes. "Who else?" he asked.

I bit my bottom lip, unsure of what I should tell him. Sakura and Ino were fine, but how could I tell Naruto-kun? I knew for a fact that he _disliked _Uchiha-san, especially after what happened last week.

**_Last Week:_**

"Hi, I'm Uzumaki Naruto."

Naruto held out his hand for the Uchiha to shake, but the other boy ignored him and continued staring at the front of the room for the past ten minutes. A throbbing vein appeared near the blonde's temple. He gritted his teeth, trying his absolute best to keep his temper under control. "Okay then, I'll just say it again. I'm Uzumaki Naru-"

"Shut up."

Several more veins appeared on his forehead this time. Naruto's left eye twitched. "What...did...you...say?"

The Uchiha turned his eyes on the blond, clearly annoyed. "I said, _'shut up'_ you moronic blond. Or are you too stupid to even understand that much?" It was more of a statement than a question.

He snapped then.

"What the hell's your problem you bastard?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes at him. "Isn't it obvious?"

"I'm trying to be friendly here, the least you could do is try too!"

"No thanks," he replied.

It was then that Naruto proceeded to attack him. Sasuke easily retaliated with a swift punch.

_**Present Time:**_

"I didn't expect the bastard to land a hit on me like that," Naruto-kun muttered in disappointment, rubbing at his bruised, left cheek. It was still in the process of healing. I handed him the ointment I'd bought the other day and a new band-aid to replace with his old one. He tore it off and winced. "Ugh, it still hurts goddammit."

"Do you w-want me to do it f-for you, Naruto-kun?"

"Nah," he said. "I'm good. But aside from that, you still haven't answered my question yet."

I gulped, silently cursing myself for not having escaped while I had the chance to. "A-Ano, about that, I-"

"Do you like him?" he asked.

It took a few seconds before the words fully registered themselves inside my head. I blinked before blushing furiously in confusion.

"E-Eh?!"

"Well?" he pressed. "I can't think of any other reason for you being around him."

"Oh, um a-about that-"

He held up a hand to silence me. "Say no more," he frowned. "I get it already."

_Get what? I didn't even finish explaining!_

Before I could open my mouth, Uchiha-san entered the classroom, unintentionally causing the girls to eye him with hearts in their eyes. He took his seat at his desk beside me, pulling out a novel from inside his bag to read.

I looked to Naruto-kun, who in turn stood up to leave. "I'll leave you two alone," he muttered.

I let out a long sigh and shook my head. _Naruto-kun you idiot_...The one I liked was...

Turning to Uchiha-san, I decided to try and strike up a conversation. "H-How was the bathroom, U-Uchiha-san?"

He kept his eyes on the book, flipping the page to the next one.

"Don't ask me a stupid question like that," he replied.

I hung my head low in despair.

..._definitely_ not him.

* * *

_Alright now, this shouldn't be too hard._

I glanced towards the clock on the far right wall, waiting for the long hand to land on the twelve. Lunch would start soon, Kakashi-sensei would leave, and instead of following Uchiha-san around like I always did during lunch period, I could invite him to eat with the four of us, and maybe get him and Naruto-kun to patch things up between each other.

_Or am I being too naive? _I shook my head. Now wasn't the time for doubts.

The bell rang just then. Kakashi-sensei stood up to leave with his wallet in hand. Pulling out my special four-tiered lunch box, I set it on top of my desk. Sakura, Ino, and Naruto-kun all pushed our desks together, their eyes eager with anticipation as I set out the dishes I'd prepared this morning.

Sakura threw her arms around me in a tight embrace. "Aw, thank you so much, Hinata!" she cried, nuzzling her face against mine affectionately. "I promise, I'll pay you back someday with a feast worthy to everything you've ever cooked for us!"

Ino split apart her chopsticks. "Yeah, yeah, quit your barking forehead." She licked her lips. "Let's eat already, I'm starving."

As the others took their seats, I caught sight of Uchiha-san, just as he was about to leave the classroom. "A-Ano, Uchiha-san-!"

He turned only breifly to look at me, but walked out anyways. Before I could follow after him, Sakura grabbed ahold of my arm. I turned to look at her. A vein throbbed near her forehead. My reaction to this was to gulp in fear. She was scary whenever she was angry.

"You're eating with us today, _right_?" she asked. Her voice left no room for argument.

Ino in turn waved her hand dismissively towards Uchiha-san. "Leaving him alone for at least one day should be fine, Hinata. Just stay."

"I-It's not that I'm going to leave or anything. I just wanted to invite Uchiha-san to come over and eat lunch with us." I then remembered Naruto-kun sitting there. "I-If...If it's alright with you...that is."

Sakura and Ino's eyes widened in surprise. "That's it?" they asked. I nodded. Ino grinned. "Then what are you waiting for? Go after him already!"

Sakura nodded in approval. "As long as you plan on eating with us, I really don't care."

I left the classroom for Uchiha-san.

* * *

"What's wrong with you?" Ino asked.

The blond boy crossed his arms over his chest, an annoyed expression on his face. "I...I just don't get it."

"Get what?" Sakura set aside her chopsticks, despite the temptation she felt towards the feast before her.

Naruto gestured for both girls to lean in close so he could whisper to them. In doing so, he said "Why she likes that Uchiha bastard..."

Both girls nearly fell from their seats. His words had had that much of an impact on them. Hinata? Shy and quiet Hinata liked Uchiha Sasuke, the school's number one prince of darkness? Was such a thing possible?

"What are you talking about?" Ino frowned. "For you to even say such a thing must mean that you're a lot stupider than I thought you were."

Sakura reflected Ino's confusion. "What do you mean she 'likes him'? Who told you that?"

"Hinata did," he answered.

Sakura knitted her eyebrows together. "Are you sure she said that? And if that was true, then Hinata would've definitely told us first."

Ino's frown deepened. "Yeah, she wouldn't tell you something like that. Besides, Hinata's only with the guy out of a sense of duty for him."

"Sense of duty?" Naruto asked. It was his turn this time to be confused.

"Yeah," Ino replied. "You didn't know? Apparently, she was asked by the headmistress to watch after him, during school hours only of course."

"Huh? Why?"

Leaning over to whisper into his ear, Naruto's eyes widened in surprise upon hearing the answer.

* * *

"I know I told you to do whatever you wanted, but...following me to this extent is absolutely ridiculous. You do it almost everyday now."

"I-I'm sorry!" I bowed. "But the truth is, I c-came up here today to ask you to join my friends and I for l-lunch."

"No."

_Eh?_ "Y-You don't want to?"

"If I wanted to eat with anyone, then I would've stayed in the classroom. What do you think I come up here for exactly?"

"Oh! Um, that is..." I bit my lip, unsure of how to respond. Uchiha-san was definitely unaware that I knew, aside from his heart condition, his other illness. Tsunade-sensei had already warned me that if he found out, that there would be, as she had put it, 'hell to pay.' Fortunately, he didn't know of my interference that day on the bridge. And the worst part of it was that I'd thrown a vegetable at him, my dinner to be exact.

He scoffed. "For future reference, I'm not that weak you know. So if you want to eat with your friends or whatever, then go. The only one stopping you is yourself."

"But-"

"Besides...I'd rather be alone anyways." He sighed. "Annoying people like you and those morons down there agitate me to no end."

* * *

"Well, what'd he say?"

I blushed, embarrassed by my useless attempt to try and retrieve him. "H-He said no..."

Sakura rolled her eyes. "No surprise there. The school's hottest guy is too good to hang out with a bunch of commoners like us." She waved her hand dismissively as Ino had done earlier. "If the jerk wants to be like that, then forget him."

"Ah, but Uchiha-san is just..." I trailed off, the look in his eyes clear in my mind from earlier.

_"Besides...I'd rather be alone anyways."_

_When he said that, he seemed_..._he seemed so lonely_. I couldn't help but feel pity for him then. In some ways, he sometimes reminded me of myself. When I was young, I'd been so shy, and a loner at that. I hadn't met Naruto-kun and the others until sixth grade. _I do want to go back and try again, but_...

"Where's that bastard at?"

The three of us turned to look at Naruto-kun. Me in particular. "H-Hai?"

"Where is he at now?"

"O-On the rooftop, but-"

"Then let's go."

"EH?!" Naruto-kun wanted to go to where Uchiha-san was at? To have them near each other didn't seem like such a good idea anymore, especially after the attempt I'd made.

Naruto-kun quickly stacked the lunch boxes on top of each other, wrapping it back up in the cloth I'd brought it to school in. "But N-Naruto-kun, I thought you didn't-"

"I don't," he replied. "To be honest, I _really_ don't like the guy, attitude and all. Aside from that though, you're worried about him, right?"

He knew. I turned to Ino and Sakura. They both gave me apologetic looks. "Sorry," Sakura winced, "we didn't know you were keeping it a secret from him."

"Forgive us?" Ino asked with a sheepish grin on her face.

I shook my head. "Oh no! I'm not mad or anything, it's just-Naruto-kun..."

"Why didn't you tell me?" he asked.

I lowered my head, too embarrassed to look directly at his face. "I'm sorry, it's not that I w-wanted to keep it a secret, I just thought...I just thought that you might be mad if you found out why I followed Uchiha-san around, that's all..."

I felt his large hand come down on my head, only to lightly ruffle my hair. I looked up at him.

"Dummy," he smiled. "Like I'd get mad over something like that." He pumped a fist in triumph. "And besides, that's a _way_ better reason than you liking him. Now if you really _had _liked him, then I might've had to kill the guy." Naruto-kun grabbed me by the hand. "C'mon, let's go."

I looked between the three of them. "Huh? T-To where?"

"The rooftop of course," Naruto-kun grinned.

* * *

"You really enjoy aggravating me, don't you?" Uchiha-san glared up at me from beneath his long bangs.

Naruto-kun growled at him. "Don't be such an ass, you bastard. We came up here because Hinata was worried about you."

"I didnt' ask her to."

"Why you-!"

Sakura held Naruto-kun back, a vein throbbing near her forehead as she spoke to Uchiha-san. "Now, now Sasuke-kun, is it okay if I call you that?" He said nothing. "Don't be like that. You should openly embrace our generous friendship and join us in feasting upon the lunch Hinata has prepared especially for all of us." She snapped her fingers. "Ino."

Ino stuck her tongue out at her. "Don't order me around, forehead, I know already." Just as she began unpacking the lunch, Uchiha-san stood up to leave.

"Oi, where are you going?" Naruto-kun asked.

Uchiha-san rolled his eyes. "What else does it look like? I'm leaving," he stated.

Before he could take the first step though, Ino sighed in disappointment. "Oh? That's too bad. Then I guess Sakura and I will have to eat these pretty, red tomatoes all by ourselves."

At this, Uchiha-san froze in his tracks. It only took him three seconds to sit back down, his legs crossed, eyes closed. He coughed. "Since you're all so persistent about it, then I'll stay."

I looked at Ino. "How did you know that?" I whispered to her.

She grinned. "Despite the fact that he's an ass, he's still hot." She held up a small, pocket-sized notebook. "I have _all_ the information on a guy a girl would ever need."

The five of us ate lunch on the rooftop that day. I enjoyed the one-sided argument Naruto-kun had with Uchiha-san, as well as Sakura and Ino's dispute over a piece of fried fish. The breeze was gentle as always, with the sweet scent of cherry blossoms.


	7. Chapter 7

**"HINATAAAAAA!!!"**

I cringed. The voice on the other end of the line seemed to reverberate through my ears, if not filled with pure anger as well. "H-Hi nii-san..."

**"Don't you 'hi nii-san' me!"** he growled. **"For the past week, I've gotten strange phone calls from people I don't even know! When I finally asked who gave them my number, they all gave me the same answer."**

I gulped down my fear, resentful of the nausea that formed itself in the pits of my stomach. To think that those girls had actually called him. They were a lot more courageous than I expected them to be. Most girls froze up whenever Neji nii-san walked by them on the streets, and stuttered if he even looked at them. He was either unaware of the attention he attracted, or quite possibly, a bit stupid. I was thankful that he couldn't read minds. I would've been killed if he'd somehow been able to see into my head.

"Um," I was sweating bullets by this point, but decided to ask anyways "what...what was their answer?"

**"A girl with blue hair and big, pale eyes."**

Just then, the kettle on the stove began to whistle. Grateful to my addiction for tea, I informed nii-san that it was time for me to go.

**"Ah! Hey you, we're not done here yet! Hinata, don't you hang up on me-!"**

**_Beeeeeeeeep_**

"Sorry nii-san!" I ran into the kitchen to turn off the stove.

* * *

Naruto-kun delivered the first word. "Hana!"

Uchiha-san went next. "Natsu."

"Suki!"

"Kioku."

"Kuma!"

"Mako."

"Kodomo!"

"Momo."

"Motto!"

"Tonari."

"Ringo!"

"Gogo."

"Go...uh."

"I win."

"Bastard! That was unfair, I want a rematch!" Naruto-kun slammed his hands down on Uchiha-san's desk, who in return, regarded him with a look of disinterest.

"You want a rematch." Naruto-kun nodded. "In shiratori?" he nodded again. Uchiha-san looked to the side and sighed a heavy sigh. "You really are an idiot, aren't you?"

"Oi, don't sigh while calling me an idiot! And don't make that face either!"

As the two had a one-sided argument, the three of us watched from the sides.

"Naruto's starting to warm up to Sasuke-kun," Sakura pointed out. "In his own way of course."

"And it was only a few days ago that he'd been complaining about how much he 'hated' the bastard." Ino rolled her eyes.

I smiled. "But that's a good thing, isn't it? Now Uchiha-san can eat with us comfortably. The same goes for Naruto-kun too."

"That's true," Sakura said thoughtfully "but it's because of Naruto's simplicity that Sasuke-kun can even talk to him. Otherwise, I think he'd rather jump off a bridge than hang out with us."

I gulped down the lump in my throat. Were they secretly aware of what I knew? I shook my head. I'd been becoming a lot more paranoid lately, which wasn't normal in my case.

Ino rubbed her chin. "Hm, now that I think about it...Naruto's the only guy whose talked to Sasuke-kun so far, right?"

Sakura frowned. "The only guy? Well...it's not like I haven't seen _other_ guys attempting to talk to him."

"Then what happened?"

"He ignored them of course."

Ino pouted. "Not very friendly, is he?"

"With the name 'prince of darkness,' I don't think he'd be."

I decided now was a good time to speak up. "U-Uchiha-san may not look it, but I think he's just a little shy."

They both stared at me for a few seconds before bursting into laughter at this.

"Him? Shy? You're kidding, right?"

"Hinata, you really do say the cutest things," Ino laughed, patting me on the shoulder.

"Oh, but..." I trailed off as the two continued their argument concerning Uchiha-san and Naruto-kun. Two weeks ago, Uchiha-san had been cold and unfriendly towards Naruto-kun, who in turn wanted to beat the living daylights out of the other boy. But now...whenever Naruto-kun called out to him, he responded accordingly, if not a bit rude on his part.

I was happy, but what confused me was why he decided to talk to Naruto-kun after coldly brushing him off the first time.

* * *

That afternoon, I'd forgotten something in my shoe locker. Upon opening it, I found a letter inside. _What's this?_ Pulling off the tab, I pulled out the letter and read it.

_Dear Hyuuga-san,_

_I have something to tell you. Please meet me outside in the school courtyard, ten minutes before lunch ends._

_Thank you for taking the time to read this letter._

Blushing, I held back a cry of embarrassment. Was this really happening?

* * *

"Oi, Hinata! What took you so long?" Naruto-kun waved his chopsticks in the air. "If you don't hurry up, this weirdo here's gonna eat all of your tomatoes!" Uchiha-san shot him a glare but said nothing.

I closed the door behind me, sliding it shut in place. "I-I was sidetracked for a bit..."

Sakura waved for me to come over. "Don't worry, we saved you your portion."

I nearly fell over from the shock. From the looks of it, they'd saved me _too_ much. "Th-This is a lot."

"You're hungry, aren't you?" Ino asked.

"Yes, but..."I looked to Uchiha-san who boredly clicked his chopsticks together. I glanced back down at my portion. There were a lot of cherry tomatoes in it. "Ano...Uchiha-san, would you...would you like some of my tomatoes?" His eyes widened, for a brief second at this before he looked at me. Everyone seemed full already, considering the way they sat back in their chairs and all. "I have...a bit too much in here." He continued staring at me, his expression indifferent as usual.

"You...You like tomatoes, don't you?" _Maybe he doesn't want to share after all?_

After a few seconds, he finally nodded. I smiled, pushing my lunchbox in the center for us to share.

* * *

It happens in everyone's life, unexpected things that is.

"What's your relationship with Sasuke-kun?"

I turned around from my locker, only to be faced head on by a group of girls. Their arms were crossed and they did not look happy. "My...My relationship with him?"

"Oh, so now you're playing dumb?" The girl who approached me first seemed to be leading them, as they followed her movement, leaning forward to corner me as well. "You know what I'm talking about. Every time I turn around, you're either always following him or you're with him."

"Ah, w-well..." why was I always confronted whenever it came to Uchiha-san? Was my horrible streak of bad luck finally coming? Had I done something in the past that had offended the gods?

"Well?" she asked. "Answer us already." The other girls snickered at me from behind her. I could feel my cheeks flushing red with shame.

"No! U-Uchiha-san and I a-aren't like that! I-"

She snorted in contempt. "You what? You like him so much that you want to keep him all for yourself?"

"No...I...I..." I didn't know what to say. What _could_ I say?

She suddenly grabbed me, pulling me by the roots of my hair. I hissed in pain, trying to hold back the cry that threatened to escape my throat.

"Someone like you," she whispered "shouldn't go near guys like Sasuke-kun. He's _way_ out of your league." She shoved me hard against the lockers, causing the rows to rattle at the force that had been involuntary placed upon them.

"Know your place, you bitch." She flipped her hair at me as she turned to leave. I slid to the floor on my knees. A girl's jealousy was quite scary.

* * *

"You WHAT?" Ino cried, spitting out her tea all over Sakura. Sakura smacked her over the head with her tray. Ino winced.

As she removed her shirt, Sakura wiped herself dry. "You rejected someone you said?"

I nodded. Ino let out a sigh of relief. "Thank God."

"Do you know who he was?" Sakura asked.

I shook my head. "I only met him yesterday."

"Did you get his name at least?"

"Um," I think it was... "Sakurai Yuya-kun."

"And what did Sakurai-kun say to you?"

"Uh..."

**_Yesterday in the courtyard:_**

_"Ano...Hyuuga-san, I know you don't know me, but...I've...I've always liked you, e-ever since I first saw you at the entrance ceremony."_

This was all too much for me to handle. Blushing, I put a hand over my mouth, afraid that I'd squeak out a stupid response. _"But...I don't understand. Why would you like someone like me?" _had it been Sakura or Ino...

Blushing, he kept his eyes on me. _"I...I know it sounds weird, but would you believe me if I told you it was love at first sight?" _

Oh dear, this really was becoming too much. I wouldn't have been surprised if all the blood had rushed to my head, only to have it explode. _"Oh, um wow...this is...I'm flattered but..."_ I bit my lip. _"I...I already like someone."_

His nervousness from earlier melted into dissapointment. _"Oh, I-I see."_ His forced smile broke my heart.

_"I'm s-sorry,"_ I apologized, bowing my head.

He shook his head. _"You have nothing to apologize for. I'm the one who should be apologizing."_ There was that smile of his again. If only he would stop it.

I smiled in return, hoping that the sadness I felt didn't show too much.

_"I hope you find someone."_


	8. Chapter 8

Laundry, check. Bathroom, check. Kitchen, check. Bedroom and living room, check. Trash, check.

Today was a Sunday, which was the only day of the week that I had time to get anything done around my new home. Keeping it clean was an obsession of mine, almost as much as anime and manga. Okay, well maybe not that much, but I did enjoy a sanitary environment to live in.

Removing my bandanna, I took a seat on the brand new, Italian-leather sofa my father had sent me through mail. Hanabi had included a gift as well, one from her and Neji nii-san that is. It was a video tape. The first half consisted of Hanabi as she spoke to me as though I were really there in front of her. She rambled on and on about the strangest things that I had no interest in, but that was what made her so cute. Nii-san however lectured me before going on a rampage that I shouldn't carelessly hand out a person's phone number to other people. I turned off the VCR the second the tape was over.

Standing up, I stretched my arms, deciding now would be the best time to take a shower before going out to go shopping for this week's food supply. Along with the sofa, my father had sent me a month's worth of spending money.

* * *

On my way out, a flash of dark-red hair entered my field of vision. He walked by me and into the apartment room next door.

"A new tenant...?" I mumbled to myself.

I shrugged my shoulders. Now wasn't the time to be so nosy. Shopping was number one on my list at the moment.

* * *

For some reason, the supermarket was packed today. My eyes landed on the sign standing just outside the door.

**_Super Special 20-Minute Sale!_**

_Well, that certainly explained why._

Careful not to bump into anyone, I squeezed myself through the tightly-packed aisles, nearly out of breath by the time I reached my destination. Before me sat an entire section of curry-based items. There was curry-bread, curry sauce, instant curry mix, and curry-flavored noodles. Today I thought I'd try something different, something like...curry. Which was why I was standing here in the first place.

"Spicy hot, super-spicy hot or flaming-spicy hot?" I wasn't too sure as to which one I should've gotten, they all looked good. Closing my eyes, I randomly walked up and down the aisle before reaching out to randomly grab a box of curry mix. With the box in hand, I opened my eyes and nearly fell over from the shock, if not my stupidity as well. The box I'd grabbed couldn't really be considered curry, but more like a special mix created especially for children. A mild flavor.

_I was off by one box!_

Feeling defeated, I slipped it into my basket and headed towards the packaged meat. I liked chicken and pork, but curry looked more appealing with large chunks of beef in it. As I weighted my options, I felt someone bump shoulders with me. I turned my head to apologize, but nearly choked on my words as I saw the person who stood before me.

"K-Kiba-kun?"

Upon meeting my eyes, his face immediately brightened. "Hinata! What brings you here?"

"Eh? I-I'm shopping, for dinner that is. H-How about you?"

As I asked him this, it seemed to only annoy him. "Che, my sister sent me out to buy the groceries today." He scoffed. The annoyance immediately dissapeared however as he turned back to me, smiling. "But if I get to see you every time I go shopping, then maybe doing her chores isn't so bad after all."

I blushed, not only at his words, but the attention we recieved from others, mainly older women as they giggled. Kiba-kun was certainly bold. For him to flirt with me in public was the number one NO on my father's list. And for me, well, it was just plain embarrassing.

"K-Kiba-kun..." I begged him silently with my eyes to not say anything else.

* * *

On my way up the stairs, I ran into the landlady of the apartment, who by the way I still did not know the name of.

"Ara, Hinata-san, were you out shopping again?" She smiled at me. She was at least in her thirties, but quite pretty for a woman her age. Her brown hair was pulled back into a tight bun and her make-up looked light and natural. She was kind as well, and very similar to a person I knew. "You certainly do enjoy a good meal, don't you?"

Embarrassed by my appetite, I smiled in return. "Yes, I went to buy my dinner for tonight." I bowed politely before excusing myself. Before I had the chance to reach the top however, she called out to me in her kind and soft voice.

"Hinata-san?"

I turned around, struggling to keep my bag of groceries from tipping me over the edge. "Y-Yes?"

"Just to inform you ahead of time, we currently have a new tenant here as well. I haven't properly introduced myself to him yet, but would you be so kind as to greet him for me? Make him feel at home if you would." She smiled that dazzlingly warm smile of hers. "I want my tenants to feel comfortable in this apartment."

Her sincerity made it hard for me to refuse her, that and the fact that I wouldn't have been able to anyways, what with my pushover personality and all.

"O-Of course!"

* * *

After chopping up the onions, carrots and potatoes, I slowly dumped them into the boiling pot, careful to not splash any hot water on myself. Wiping my hands against the front of my apron, I went to the fridge to get a drink and took out a water bottle. Popping open the cap, I gulped a quarter of it down, sighing in content at the relief and coolness it provided for my dry and thirsty throat. I checked the time on my oven. The instructions had clearly read 'boil vegetables for 15 minutes.' Turning the burner down to medium, I stretched my arms before proceeding to the living room where I sat down to switch on the T.V.

Flipping through the channels, all I found were a few commercials here and there, not to mention a bunch of anime that was currently playing. There were a few drama reruns, but I'd already seen them all. Bored, I turned the T.V. back off before sinking into my leather sofa. I wanted to call Sakura and Ino to invite them over for dinner, but they had their own families to eat dinner with, so bothering them didn't sit too well with me.

While in the middle of thinkng of ways to kill my time, I heard a loud thump on the wall from next door. A light-bulb suddenly went off in my head.

_Isn't that the new tenant next door?_

Removing my apron, I folded it before heading out to check on my new neighbor.

I knocked twice on the door. Silence. "H-Hello?" I knocked again, only a bit harder this time in hopes of getting a response. Still, there was no answer. I glanced around, making sure that no one was looking before placing my ear against the cold door. I couldn't hear anything. I glanced around again before leaning in closer, the side of my head pressed up against the door. To my horror, my leaning on the door had been enough to push it open. I fell in on my side and groaned. I really was an idiot.

Sitting up, I took notice of how dark the room was. Aside from the blinds being kept shut, there were no sources of any light on whatsoever. It was pitch-black in the room. Leaving the door open, I moved along the wall, walking until my hand felt the light-switch I'd been looking for. Flicking it up, the lights immediately came on, completely wiping out the earlier darkness that had enveloped the entire room.

I took in the room before me. The wooden flooring was bare, as well as a bit dusty. In the corner sat a large pile of pots and vases, all of them different in shape and size. Beside the pile sat a potter's wheel with bits of dried up clay stuck to it. It was anything but new, the opposite in fact. The potter's wheel looked so worn out, as though it had been used for several years. From the chips in it, it seemed to have taken a good beating.

As I continued to make my way through the apartment room, I couldn't help but notice at how little furniture he had. The most he had was a wooden chair that had been propped up against the wall, and it didn't look very sturdy either. I coughed, choking at the dust in the room. Exactly when had he moved in? It took only a little effort and time to keep one's home clean.

Going in further, I came into the room that was opposite to mine. To be more precise, where I'd heard the loud thump come from. My eyes widened in surprise as well as concern at the sight before me.

A slender, red-headed male sat, slumped against the wall, his posture a bit elegant in a strange sense. I rushed to his side, bending down to get a look at his face. Was he sleeping or was he dead? I really hoped it wasn't the latter. Hesitant, I reached out to brush away the red bangs that fell over his eyes.

"Um...sir? Are you oka-?"

His hand suddenly shot out to grab hold of my wrist. I nearly froze from the terror my heart had endured. Staying perfectly still, I stared at him. He in turn looked up to meet my eyes, allowing me view of the ice-blue jewels that had been hidden behind his bangs. He stared at me, long and hard.

"I'm...hungry."

Without warning, he fell over and into my lap. The boy was unconscious.


	9. Chapter 9

"Itadakimasu..." The boy put his hands together before digging into the plate of curry and rice I'd put together for him. I watched him, speechless as he easily shoveled the food into his mouth. He was like a garbage disposal that cleaned everything off of the plate. It certainly saved me the trouble of cleaning up. The second he finished, he set his plate down with a sigh of content.

Despite his already pale skin, there was now more color to his face. His lifeless blue eyes were now a vibrant, ice-like blue, circled with a tracing of eyeliner-at least...I think they were. Shaggy, dark-red hair fell just below his ears. His look was somewhat messy, yet at the same time stylish. I couldn't believe that he was the same boy I'd found earlier, nearing the brink of starvation.

I handed him the glass of water I'd prepared beforehand, watching as he gulped it all down in one sitting. Once he was finished, he set the cup down and turned his eyes on me, licking away the small drop of water that sat on his lips.

"Thanks," he said, his voice pleasantly quiet. "How much?"

"Huh? H-How much what?"

"For the food. I was starving and you saved me, so I owe you, don't I?"

The realization then came to me that he thought I'd wanted his money. Shaking my head, I shook my hands as well in the process. "N-No, you don't o-owe me anything, really! Any n-normal person would have f-fed someone w-who was starving."

He stared at me for a bit before saying "So, you're _normal_?"

I blinked at him, confused as to what he was saying. "I-I guess..." I hadn't been referring to myself at all, but rather the actions a person would take when confronted with such a situation.

He studied me again, but this time with more interest as he looked at my eyes. Trying not to blush under his stare was currently impossible for me, especially considering how handsome he was. Seconds ticked by as he continued staring, despite the fact that it felt more like an eternity. To my relief however, he finally spoke in that quiet and smooth voice of his.

"With those eyes, you're anything but normal." Standing up, he stretched before heading to the door. On his way out, he threw over his shoulder "And I mean that in a good way."

The second he was gone, my face exploded into a sea of hot redness.

* * *

"C'mon Hinata, we have Art class next!" Ino shouted to me down the hallway as I tried to catch up with the rest of them. I'd been momentarily delayed in gathering my things. I'd been so dazed since yesterday that I hadn't noticed any of the things going on around me, as well as the continual changing in classrooms. The boy from last night had occupied my thoughts, much to my dismay. I wasn't exactly used to it, but to have someone as handsome as him compliment someone like me all seemed too good to be true. I still wasn't over his words from last night. My blush had eventually died down though.

As we took our seats, Sakura and Ino chatted away about something that I couldn't keep up with. I occasionally nodded here and there, trying my best to fake interest. It seemed to work since they didn't question or force me to join in on the conversation.

When the teacher entered the classroom, everyone went silent. "All right everyone, we'll be doing sketches for this week, so I'd like for you all to participate and pair up with the partner I've assigned you to."

Kurenai-sensei was very pretty. Locks of wavy, black hair fell past her shoulders. She was tall and statuesque with dark-brown eyes that held a shade of redness to them. She had curves that many of the girls in class were envious of, as well as a strict, yet kind manner that everyone found likable. Myself included.

While she called out the names of those paired up together, our eyes met and she smiled at me. I smiled in return, happy to do so.

"Hinata," she said while scanning the paper in her hand "you'll be paired up with...Uchiha Sasuke." As she looked up at me, her smile widened, and in the same second faltered as soon as she caught sight of the expression on my face.

It's not that I didn't like Uchiha-san, but rather-was terrified of the group of girls surrounding him as they glared at me. Their hatred was so intense that I could feel the negative energy burning through my skin. To my surprise, as well as the cries of shock that came from the girls, Uchiha-san stood up to drag his chair near where I sat, sitting down to face me. Kurenai-sensei seemed confused by my response, but nonetheless, continued calling out names. I took it that she, like everyone else, assumed that I had a crush on Uchiha-san.

I looked at him. He in turn flipped open his sketchbook, twirling his pencil in hand before positioning it just above the paper. "Out of all the girls here, I'd rather work with you," he stated. His eyes went down to the paper, but immediately came back up to meet my own, glaring. "And I don't mean it in _that_ way. You're just more tolerable than the rest of them, that's all."

I nodded. "O-Okay."

* * *

After class, I was called by a student at the doorway to leave for the headmistress's office. I was summoned once a week to give her a report on Uchiha-san based on my observations.

As I stood up, Uchiha-san took my sketchbook from me. I let out a small cry of surprise as he studied it. Art wasn't my very best subject, aside from math that is. Embarrassed, I watched him, waiting for his reaction. He finally let out a sigh and said "This looks nothing like me."

I bowed several times to him, apologizing for the terrible sketch that I'd done. He held out his hand to stop me. "Would you quit that? That bowing thing of yours is getting really annoying, y'know." He put his sketchbook on top of mine and handed it to me. "Give these to the teacher."

I hadn't meant to, but I ended up looking down at the sketch he'd drawn of me out of curiousity, to my horror and embarrassment.

Soft lines of charcoal made up the features of the young girl's face. Her large eyes were a light shade of gray, followed by the button of a nose she had, as well as her full lips. Soft hair framed her heart-shaped face, her straight hair falling past her shoulders. She looked gentle and serene. She was beautiful.

She was me.

I quickly left the classroom after turning in our sketchbooks.

* * *

Tsunade-sensei gulped down a shot of sake, biting into a fish snack she'd bought to go along with it. Over the past month, I'd learned of her passion for alcohol. My respect had not dimmed for her since finding out. She drank only on her days off from the hospital, which was about once every two weeks. Her position kept her busy, which was why she took the spare time to frequently check up on Uchiha-san at the school.

"Hey there, Hyuuga-san, how's my patient coming along?" There was a faint blush to her cheeks. Luckily, she was never too drunk to speak to me about these matters.

"H-He's fine, sensei. He's much healthier than b-before, I c-can assure you of that."

"Ah," she smiled at me, her eyes taking on a somewhat sleepy look. "That's right, you've been feeding him your homemade lunches, haven't you?"

I nodded. She burst out into laughter, slapping her hand upon her knee. "It's still funny no matter how many times I think about it! To think that that boy would eat a homemade lunch someone else made. But let me be honest with you here," she whispered, beckoning me forth with her finger. "He doesn't look it, but the kid's a _real _picky eater. The five-star restaurant kind, if you know what I mean." She winked at me. "If you ask me, I think he's taken a liking to you."

My face immediately flared red. "N-No, I don't think so..."

"Just kidding," she grinned, pouring herself another shot of sake. "

I breathed a sigh of relief. "Um, sensei...may I...may I go now?"

"Oh right, you have class, don't you..." she murmured, throwing the shot of liquid into her mouth. With a wave of her hand, she dismissed me. "All right then, you may leave now. But be sure to report to me next week, got it?" If not for the silly smile on her face, I would've found her words demanding, if not insulting.

I left her office for the classroom.

* * *

Ino and Sakura stood at the doorway, ushering for me to hurry inside. Confused, I looked at them as they shut the door. "Wh-What's going on? Don't we have gym class next?"

"Yeah, but they're fixing something in the girl's locker room, so we'll be changing here in the classroom for today," explained Sakura.

Unbuttoning the side of her skirt, Ino let it fall down to her feet, slipping out of it as she slid on her navy-blue bloomers. Removing her uniform blouse, she pinched at her stomach with both hands. "Damn it, I really did put on a few pounds this summer," she muttered to herself. Sakura snickered, causing Ino to glare at her. "I don't see what's so funny, forehead, considering the pounds you put on yourself!" She pulled up Sakura's shirt and poked her in the stomach. "Aha! So I was right after all!"

Blushing, Sakura pulled her shirt back down and glared at Ino. "Shut up. Unlike you, I was busy studying over the summer."

Ino snorted. "Sure."

Growling, Sakura tackled Ino, pinching the other girl's cheeks while stretching them out. "Are you calling me fat?!"

"Takes one to know one!"

The two girls wrestled each other, while I watched, unsure of how to get between them, or at least keep them from killing each other. The other girls giggled as they watched with interest.

Sighing, I decided to undress myself and change. Fights were often common between the two. They would stop sooner or later, eventually.

Just as I was sliding off my shirt, the classroom door slid open, followed by total silence from all of the girls.

Kiba-kun stood in the doorway, dressed out in his gym uniform. We all stared at him, myself included. When his eyes landed on me, a bright-red blush spread all over his face. I did the same.

"I-I just came to g-g-get something," he stammered. "I d-didn't k-k-know-"

"GET OUT!" They all shrieked.

* * *

Naruto-kun fell over with laughter, clutching at his stomach as he rolled around on the grass.

Kiba-kun had tears in his eyes and sniffled. "Shut up, stupid." He had a large black-eye, due to Sakura's fist, and a swollen cheek, due to Ino's other fist. I felt sorry for him, but consoling him probably wasn't the best thing to do right now. At least, not after the awkward encounter we'd had that is.

Ino stretched her arms, grinning as the sunlight fell over her form. "Ah, it's so nice out today."

Sakura began with a few stretches herself. "Just wait until it gets cold," she shivered. "Gah, I hate winter."

"What about autumn?" Ino asked. She shrugged.

"It's okay." She then smiled. "Spring is definitely my favorite season though."

Ino grinned. "Same here." She looked to me. "What about you, Hinata?"

"Eh? Oh, I guess...I like all of them, I think."

"You don't have one in particular?" Sakura asked.

I thought about it for a few seconds, and the season instantly clicked into place. "Winter," I smiled. They both shivered at the word.

Anko-sensei demanded our attention the second she stepped out onto the field. "All right you brats, today I'll be testing you on your high jump, so I want everyone to form a line and get ready!"

I followed after Sakura and Ino and got in line. Once the line was formed, she blew her whistle for the first person to began. He tried leaping over it, but failed miserably, entangling his legs around the bar as he brought it down with him. "You suck!" Anko yelled at him. "Next!"

My knees buckled together nervously as I watched my classmates complete their turn. A few were good, but many of them did horrible. One person had simply stood there because they didn't know what to do. I was about to be that very same person in a few minutes.

Naruto-kun was next in line. As he ran to build up speed, he made a leap for it and effortlessly threw himself over the bar, landing side-first on the cushioned mat. He was dazzling. Grinning he gave us a thumbs-up, his eyes focused mainly on Sakura. She in turn blushed and looked away. It was her turn next. The second sensei blew her whistle, Sakura ran and thew herself over the bar, her movements graceful like that of a butterfly. Ino whooped and pumped her fist in the air. "All right, forehead!" After completing her jump, which was just as graceful as Sakura's, the three of them stood to the side, waiting for me to join them. I gulped down the lump in my throat.

Positioning myself in the proper stance, I crouched, ready to run. It wasn't until a hand came down gently upon my shoulder that the whistle had been blown, along with the person behind me who had whispered in a familiar voice.

"You'll be fine."

Running, I built up speed and kept myself in a straight line, heading towards the bar that sat seven feet above, parallel to the ground. The memory of everyone's attempted jumps from earlier remained fresh in my mind. I knew what to do and what not to do. How to leap, and position the angle of the body properly to make it over the bar. It only took me a minute to realize that I'd landed safely on the mat. The bar was still intact and above ground.

Blinking, I stared at the mat, amazed that I'd been able to make the jump. "Good job, Hyuuga." I looked up to see Anko-sensei smiling. She gave me a nod of approval.

My eyes went back to the line, where a few others stood, waiting for their turn. Uchiha-san was among them, as well as the person who had stood behind me.

* * *

"You stupid bitch!"

She continually punched me in the stomach until I fell to my knees, coughing. Another girl slapped me and I fell over on my side, automatically curling myself up in hopes of lessening the pain in my gut. It hurt so much.

"How many times-"

It had only been thirty minutes ago since I last had gym. It was currently lunch period and I was now being beaten up behind the school building. This was apparently their revenge for my monopolizing Uchiha-san. They kicked at me, landing hard blows at my body. I went into a coughing fit this time. The taste of blood was fresh in my mouth.

"-will I have to remind you to stay away from him?!"

I wanted to hit them back, but I couldn't. I didn't want to hurt them. I knew how they felt. They all liked Uchiha-san, someone they couldn't have. My heart ached as I thought of Naruto-kun. I knew the feeling all-too-well.

My hair was pulled at roughly by the roots. It was the same girl who had done it last time. Her voice was full of malice, her expression terrifyingly cruel. "Don't get so full of yourself just because you're a little pretty."

Her friends that stood around me mirrored the very same cruel smile she held.

"Maybe we should mess her face up," one of them grinned.

"How about we beat her up until she can't walk?" the other girl suggested.

Placing my arms above my head, I braced myself for the excruciating pain that I would soon feel.

"Get away from her," said a familiar voice. That quiet tone, the smoothness it held.

_It couldn't be_...

I immediately sat up, and to my astonishment, I'd been right.

My handsome, next-door neighbor stood there dressed in casual wear. Jeans and a simple beige t-shirt. His ice-blue eyes held that same tired look of his, but were undeniably filled with anger. It didn't show on his face though, which seemed more calm in comparison. The girls stared at him and blushed. His looks must've affected them the same way they had me. They were stunned speechless as far as I could tell. He however, did not seem to care at all about how they viewed him and instead jerked his thumb in the direction he had just come from.

"Get the hell out of here." Faces now blue with shock, they were gone in an instant.

Walking over to me, he held out his hand to help me up. I stood with his support, my body trembling. Pain shot through me everywhere. I groaned.

"I'll take you to the infirmary," he said. "Here, get on." He crouched down with his back facing me. I was in no position to refuse him, so I got on, reluctantly. As we headed inside the school building, I decided to ask him a question.

"W-Why are you here?"

"I passed the entrance exams," he replied. "I'm officially a student here as of today."

"Then why aren't you w-wearing your unif-"

"I didn't get it yet."

Silence passed between us. It only came to mind then what I should've said during this situation.

"Th-Thank you..."

"My debt's been repaid, I don't see any point in you thanking me."

"Oh..."

"But...I guess there's nothing wrong with being polite, so...you're welcome."

I smiled. "M-My name's Hinata. What's yours?"

"Gaara."


	10. Chapter 10

Gaara-san had been kind enough to drop me off at the infirmary. He left a few minutes before Ino and Sakura arrived, much to my surprise.

"What happened?" Ino cried. She, along with Sakura sat beside me on the bed. Iruka-sensei, the school doctor, treated my wounds. He cleaned them gently before applying an ointment to my face, adding a band-aid as well. I wasn't sure of how many I had on me. I'd lost count after nine of them.

Sakura reached out to gently touch my face with her fingertips. I winced, my entire body shuddering with pain. "Ah, sorry!" she squeaked, immediately pulling her hand back. Her eyes were filled with concern. That look always made me feel warm inside.

"Don't worry, Sakura, it's nothing serious," I smiled, trying to ameliorate her mood. I placed my left hand over hers, hoping to reassure her that I was fine. She returned the smile.

Iruka-sensei tapped me lightly on the head, frowning in disapproval. "I've never seen so many wounds on a female student before," he said, picking up my arm to carefully wrap bandages around my sprained wrist. I flinched, gritting my teeth to try my best and bear it. Luckily it was my right hand. I was a lefty. "Exactly what did you do to get these wounds in the first place?"

I liked Iruka-sensei, as I did most of my teachers. He wore his shoulder-length, brown hair up in a ponytail and had a slash of a scar just above the ridge of his nose. His skin was certainly darker, in comparison to mine, but held a tan quite similar to Naruto-kun. He was kind and understanding with the very aura of Buddha himself. I could see why Naruto-kun attached himself to sensei. I felt calm whenever I was around him too.

"I f-f-fell," I stammered, afraid to directly meet his gaze. I was a horrible liar.

Sensei said nothing for a moment and merely shook his head with an exasperated sigh. He went on and continued treating me. "Is that so...?"

I took it he hadn't bought my lie.

* * *

"Now are you going to tell us what happened, or will we have to beat it out of you?" said Ino, as she uncharacteristically cracked her knuckles towards me. Never in a million years had I ever thought that I would see that.

"Oh hush, you know you'd never beat her up," Sakura scoffed, grabbing the other girl by her leg to forcibly have her sit down. Ino crossed her arms over her chest and pouted.

"That's true, but I can tell she's keeping something from us, forehead." Ino regarded me with suspicion. I quickly returned to sipping my cup of tea, hiding my face behind the cup.

Sakura patted the side of my face. "You don't want to talk about it with us?" she asked, pouting.

I shook my head. The last thing I needed was for them to beat the living daylights out of those girls. It was my own problem, and something I definitely did not need to drag them into.

With a sigh, Sakura stood up and smoothed out the wrinkles on her shorts. "I'm going to take a shower, is that okay with you?"

I nodded. "Th-the clean towels are in the closet next to my bedroom."

* * *

Uchiha-san leafed quickly through the book before looking back at his notes to jot down a few more things. We were in the school library, and since it was free period for the next hour, I decided to accompany Uchiha-san. There were a few students here as well, mostly girls. They took to hiding behind bookshelves and giggling as they watched Uchiha-san. Others took to glaring at me, but did nothing. As scared as I was, I tried my best to ignore them and possibly, help Uchiha-san.

"Um, Uchiha-san, do you n-need help with anything?"

He sighed and removed his glasses, pinching the ridge of his nose briefly before putting them back on. "I'm fine."

"Would you like something to dr-drink? Are you hungry for anything?"

Suddenly, he shut the book he was reading and glared at me. "Okay, stop that."

"S-Stop what?"

He lowered his voice, grinding his teeth as he spoke. "You're just watching over me, no one said anything about you having to attend to my needs."

I lowered my voice as well, hoping that none of the girls were listening in on us. "Yes, b-but I just want to make sure you're comfortable at a-all times. I mean, I heard from the headmistress th-that you haven't attended a public school at all in the past three years."

He tightened his fists, the veins clearly visible beneath his pale skin. "That old hag..." he muttered. For some reason, I could suddenly envision flames behind him. Hoping to calm him down, I decided to ask him a question that had always been on my mind.

"Weren't you...lonely though?"

And just like that, the flames suddenly vanished into thin air. He blinked several times as he stared at me.

"I have maids and caretakers everywhere inside my house."

"Oh no, I-I don't mean like that. I meant to say, w-weren't you lonely without any friends around?"

He gazed at me momentarily before returning to the book he'd been reading earlier, leafing through it with absolutely no interest. Shrugging, he muttered "Not really."

I folded my hands in my lap and looked down at the table. "Wh-When I was younger, I was really sh-shy."

"_Was_?" he snorted.

My face went red. "Everyone w-would pick on me because I was q-quiet in class." I couldn't tell if he was still listening or not, but went on anyways. "At that time, during my fifth year in elementary school, I wanted to quit so badly." Without realizing it, my voice became softer as I spoke. "I told my parents, 'anything but there, please don't make me go back to that place!' And my mother," I smiled as I thought of her. "She asked me if I had any friends, but I didn't say anything. I was...I was so embarrassed. I didn't want her to know that I didn't have any. No one liked me. They made fun of my eyes and told me that I was ugly. But...I didn't tell my mother about any of it because I didn't want to. I...I thought that she would be ashamed of me."

I glanced up to briefly catch Uchiha-san's eyes watching me. Glancing back down, I continued. "At that time, when I didn't answer her, she just smiled at me and patted my head. I started to tell her again that I didn't want to go back to school anymore, and without even giving her a reason. She...she picked me up and held me close to her. Her body was so warm at the time that I didn't want to let go. I remember wishing that I could stay next to her forever."

A breeze blew in from the window to our left that someone had opened earlier, causing the white curtains to billow momentarily before settling back into place. I brushed aside my hair, tucking the strands back behind my ear. Warm sunlight fell over the table we sat at, warming our pale and cool skin. Uchiha-san closed his book and took off his glasses, leaning back in his chair as he listened to me.

"My mother whispered to me that I would someday find friends, friends that I could rely on. I didn't understand what she meant at the time, but the next day after school, I was bullied again on my way home. They threw rocks at me and whatever else they knew would hurt me. The girls, in particular, seemed to really hate me. Even to this day, I still don't know why they did it."

"I never did think of you as a fighter," he mumbled, rolling his pencil around on the table.

Closing my eyes, I let my mind drift off to that day, they day I met Sakura and Ino.

"They...They saved me. Both Sakura and Ino got into a fistfight with the girls. I remember watching as they pulled at their hair and punched them." I giggled to myself. "I know I shouldn't laugh, but I can still remember how they looked that day. Their hair and clothes were all messed up. And they asked me if I was okay." Smiling at the memory, I could feel my voice breaking as I spoke. "We...We were in different classes, but they...they became friends with me anyway. I was so confused, yet...happy at the same time. Happy that they chose someone like _me _to be their friend."

The tears slid down my face before I even realized it. Sniffling, I wiped at my eyes. "Ah, I-I'm so stupid, I can't believe I'm crying over something like th-this..."

A minute passed by before Uchiha-san stood up to gather his belongings.

"I can't stand people like you," he muttered.

I lowered my head, regretting the decision I'd made to speak to him about such things.

"Beating yourself up over something stupid that happened a long time ago. You're not as bad as you make yourself out to be y'know."

In a few seconds, I'd found myself alone in the library, blushing furiously at Uchiha-san's words.

* * *

**A/N: Er, sorry for keeping it so short. I don't have enough time since my computer's being stupid right now.**

**Read and review please! Um, if it's not too much trouble that is... (blush.)**


	11. Chapter 11

"Nee-chan!" Hanabi cried.

Upon my opening of the apartment door, I was greeted by a teary-eyed Hanabi as she threw her arms around me, taking us both down to the floor. I sat up and rubbed the back of my head. Hanabi cuddled herself against me, burying her face into my stomach.

"It's been so long!" she cried "I never thought I'd get to see you again!"

I gaped at her in shock. "H-Hanabi! What are you doing here?" It was five in the morning, and I'd only woken up due to the rapid knocking at my front door.

She hadn't heard my question, but continued to hold onto me, babbling incoherent words that I could make out to be affection.

"Uncle wanted us to come and check up on you," replied a familiar voice.

I looked up in shock to see my cousin standing in the doorway, leaning against the frame as he studied me with an amused look on his face.

"N...Neji nii-san?"

* * *

Once everyone was settled, I brought out a tray of freshly-poured tea to serve them. They both thanked me and took a sip. Hanabi reclined herself into the soft folds of the leather sofa, her legs dangling out as she swung them up and down. I smiled upon seeing this. She hadn't changed too much. She was still the same tomboy. Her hair on the other hand was noticeably longer, but her face retained the same baby fat she had that I found adorable. Her brown hair was straight, completely different from my own in terms of color. Nonetheless, it shouldn't have taken a genius to figure out that we were related. Hyuuga eyes were the dead giveaway.

Hanabi took notice of my staring and grinned in return. I felt my chest warming in affection for her. My ten-year old sister was so cute.

I looked over to Neji nii-san who quietly sipped at his tea, his posture straight but relaxed. In the time I hadn't seen him, he seemed to have only gotten more beautiful (handsome). His brown hair was pulled back and fell over his right shoulder. Soft-looking with that same silky texture his hair held. His alabaster skin was flawless from what I could see. Neji nii-san was in no way feminine when it came to his personality, but his looks alone said something else otherwise. Girls constantly tried flirting with him while boys failed miserably at hitting on him, much to his disgust.

Nii-san noticed my staring and raised an eyebrow in return. I smiled at him.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

I shook my head. "I-It's nothing. I was just thinking about...how happy I am to see you two."

Nii-san blushed at this and coughed into his closed fist. "It hasn't been _that _long," he muttered, clearly embarrassed. Hanabi took this chance to start teasing him.

Laughing, I stood up to get a few snacks from the kitchen for them to eat. We had a lot of catching up to do.

* * *

**_Sasuke's POV:_**

I watched as the old hag tucked away her stethoscope, snapping her black bag shut.

"That'll be all for today, Sasuke. You can put your shirt back on now."

Rubbing the small band-aid on my left arm, I winced at the shot she'd given me earlier. I had a feeling she'd done it so that it would purposely hurt me. The needle had been a big one too this time.

"Old hag," I muttered underneath my breath.

She looked up at me, her eyes glinting like a hawk. "Did you say something?"

I didn't answer, but instead slipped my shirt back on, buttoning the front of it up. "Can I go now?"

"Yes," she replied before settling herself into that big-ass, leather chair of hers "but there's one thing I'd like to ask you before you leave."

I sighed, annoyed at her stalling me from getting to class. "What is it now?"

She smiled, folding her hands over each other as she leaned forward, her eyes on me. "In the past few weeks, I've noticed during your regular checkups the drastic changes within your health."

"And?"

She smirked. "You've been eating healthy lately, ne?"

I scoffed. "What's it to you?"

"So tell me," she grinned "is Hyuuga-san's cooking that delicious?" I hated that smug tone in her voice. I. Absolutely. _Hated_ it.

Throwing on my blazer, I left her office, making sure to slam the door shut on my way out with as much force as I possibly could.

* * *

As I got ready for school that morning, Neji nii-san offered to drive me there. I agreed, more than eager to arrive on time. It certainly saved me the trouble of having to take the bus. The fare had risen for both adults and children.

Properly knotting the red-ribbon beneath the collar of my sailor fuku, I took care to carefully smooth out the wrinkles of my pleated, gray skirt. I ran a brush quickly through my hair before running into the kitchen. Since I'd woken up earlier than I usually did today, I'd had plenty of time to put together a healthy lunch for everyone at school. Wrapping up the bentos in a large, blue cloth, I smiled, pleased with my creation for the day.

Nii-san instructed for me to hurry up since he didn't know where my school was. The only way for me to get there on time was to show him the directions ahead of time. After Hanabi begged insistently that she come too, nii-san, annoyed, growled a "Fine." Pleased that she didn't have to wait for him at the apartment, my sister skipped her way out the door.

Slipping on my shoes, I gathered my things before following Hanabi and nii-san outside.

* * *

During our ride to my school, nii-san kept yelling at Hanabi for bouncing around in the backseat of the car. She decided to rebel and stick her tongue out at him. Nii-san in response purposely made sharp turns, taking delight in the fact that he'd scared her into properly sitting down with her seat-belt on.

"Nii-san, you're so mean!" she cried, pouting angrily at him. He merely shrugged, while eyeing her through the rear-view mirror. I couldn't help but giggle at the comedic, yet affectionate moment they shared. The two were always arguing. With Hanabi defying nii-san and whatnot. But nii-san only did what he did because he cared about her. There was also the fact that when Hanabi played, she liked to roughhouse, much to nii-san's horror.

As soon as we stopped at a red-light, nii-san turned his head to look at me. "How's school?" he asked.

I played with the strands of my hair. "It's fun. S-Sakura and Ino go there too."

"Really?" he seemed a bit surprised at this, but I could tell he was pleased due to the small smile that revealed itself briefly on his lips.

After a few more seconds, the light turned green. "N-Nii-san," I pointed.

He nodded with a "Hn," before pressing down on the gas pedal.

* * *

There were ten minutes left on the clock before classes started. Just as I was about to climb out of the car, Hanabi called for me to turn around. I did so without thinking, which resulted in her landing a quick kiss on my cheek. "Have fun," she smiled. I could literally feel my heart melting at her adorableness. Smiling, I kissed her on the cheek in return.

"You too." Turning to nii-san, I kissed him on the cheek as well. He certainly hadn't been expecting it, and from what I could see, was clearly embarrassed, his face red. "Bye nii-san," I smiled.

He muttered a quick "Bye" before stepping down on the gas pedal. I watched as his car dissapeared down the road.

As I approached the school's entrance, slim white arms threw themselves around my waist from behind in a playful manner. "Ne, was that your cousin?" Ino asked, angling her head to look up at me from the side. Her pale-blue eyes reminded me of jewels in the sunlight, her pink lips set into a curious "o" for a mouth. I nodded, which only caused her to squeal in delight. "I knew it!" She clasped her hands together and stared off dreamily into space. "You're so lucky, I wish I could be around someone as handsome as him all the time."

Approaching her from behind, Sakura knocked Ino in the back of her head with her schoolbag, earning a cry from the other girl. Ino turned around to glare at her. "What the hell did you do that for, forehead?!"

Sakura snorted. "I doubt a handsome guy like him would want to be around an ugly girl like you."

From there on, the two went into bickering mode, playing verbal-tennis as they threw insults at each other.

* * *

During class that day, I wasn't able to concentrate as much. Hanabi and Neji nii-san had definitely succeeded in distracting me from the thoughts I'd harbored since yesterday. Seeing Uchiha-san, however, had immediately brought those memories back, causing the blood to rush to my face.

Kakashi-sensei went on-and-on in that mechanical-drone of his. It was purely soporific, enough to make me want to lie my head down on the top of my desk.

As soon as the bell rang for lunch, Kakashi-sensei was out the door as usual. I'd taken notice of the eager look in his eyes every time he left. He always seemed happy for some reason.

Pushing our desks together, everyone (minus Uchiha-san) watched in excitement as I unwrapped the blue cloth, revealing today's lunch. I made sure to put in a variety of colors in order to make the bento presentable. Sakura gushed at her favorite rice with black-beans and water chestnuts that I'd taken care into carving so that they resembled a cherry-blossom shape. There were also a few red and blue berries that I'd hand-pick, mixed with grain-sized sweet nuts. Ino's lunch consisted of her favorite octopus-shaped sausages, rolled and neatly-sliced fried eggs, along with a side of white-rice. She stared in awe and too eagerly broke apart her chopsticks. For Naruto-kun I'd packed him stir-fried noodles with a generous side-helping of wholesome vegetables, shrimp-tempura, and his all-time favorite, aside from ramen, the fox-shaped onigiri he claimed to love. Naruto had a strange obsession with foxes. And as for why, I wasn't too sure.

"Itadakimasu!" the three cried before digging in.

Turning to Uchiha-san, I handed him his bento, blushing as I did so. For some reason, I still felt embarrassed about what he'd said yesterday to me in the library. Had I been hearing things, or had his words been spoken in an attempt to comfort me?

_"You're not as bad as you make yourself out to be y'know."_

Still blushing, I watched as he opened it, hoping to get a somewhat, positive reaction out of him. I'd packed everyone their favorites, along with a side-dish of something healthy. Uchiha-san's bento consisted of bright, cherry-tomatoes, pork cutlet, rolled eggs (with less sugar in them), natto, and a side of white-rice as well. I sat, eagerly waiting for him to say something, anything. Instead, he pulled apart his chopsticks and began to eat.

A bit heartbroken, I decided to look at it on the bright side. His eating it meant, without a doubt, that he approved.

Once everyone was finished, everyone thanked me for the lunch (minus Uchiha-san again). I took no offense to it though. It was his personality.

Naruto-kun glancing over at Uchiha-san's bento pointed out something that I hadn't noticed. "Oi, teme, you didn't eat all of your food."

Uchiha-san merely turned his head away, a slight twitch of a frown etching his features.

"Oi, did you hear what I said?" Naruto-kun questioned.

After a long silence, Uchiha-san replied. "I heard you, dobe."

"Then why didn't you finish your lunch? Hinata spent a lot of time cooking everything for us. The least you could do is eat it all."

Uchiha-san frowned before replying "I...don't like natto."

Sakura and Ino spit out the water they were drinking while Naruto-kun gaped at Uchiha-san with his mouth wide open.

"What are you, a baby?" Naruto cried.

Uchiha-san glared at him, his glare clearly meaning "You'd better shut yourself up before I do it for you." Naruto-kun merely laughed and slapped his knee, placing a hand on Uchiha-san's shoulder, which he shrugged away from and said "Don't touch me, dobe."

"Oh, c'mon, I was kidding Sasuke." He batted his eyelashes at Uchiha-san who in turn twitched, a vein appearing near his temple. "Besides, I can't blame a _baby_for not wanting to eat natto like a good boy should," he grinned.

I could see it in Uchiha-san's eyes then as he snapped. I stood up, ready to defend Naruto-kun if necessary, but was met only by shock when Uchiha-san picked up his chopsticks to stuff the handful of natto he'd left untouched into Naruto-kun's mouth. Snapping Naruto-kun's mouth so that it closed, he sat back down in his chair and smirked up at the shocked blond.

"Enjoy moron."

There was a long silence before Naruto-kun finally spoke.

"**#%^&*$#$#**!!!!!!!!!!!"


	12. Chapter 12

_**Ino's POV:**_

_I know I'm pretty_, _but_…_sometimes, it just doesn't feel like it's enough._

* * *

_**Thursday 8: 07 A.M:**_

The halls were packed full of students. I had to shove my way through just to get to homeroom on time. Slipping into the classroom, I closed the door behind me before heading towards Sakura, who tried to fight off the innocent advances of a lovesick Naruto. I kind of felt sorry for the poor guy, but he was an idiot, so he kind of deserved it.

"C'mon Sakura-chan, just one date! We can do whatever you want!" he pleaded, down on the floor on his knees. My childhood friend rolled her eyes and turned away from him with her arms crossed, a blush staining her angry and embarrassed face.

"What I WANT is for you to leave me alone, Naruto!"

"Mouuuu, Sakura-chan! Don't be like that!" he whined.

Deciding to leave the two quarrelling lovers alone, I moved over to Sasuke-kun, who was looking particularly handsome as usual this morning. "Morning, Sasuke-kun!" I greeted. He merely glanced up at me briefly before returning his stare to look outside the window, a bored look on his face.

I rolled my eyes. _Well, at least he looked at me_.

Sitting on top of Hinata's desk, I swung my legs back and forth, wondering what exactly was taking the girl so long to get to school today.

_Is she sick?_ I shook away the thought. Hinata was a healthy person, which meant that her getting sick was unlikely to happen. She might've been late, but she was usually so punctual about things like arriving to school on time. I smiled to myself as I thought about her. She was too cute to be fifteen.

Tossing my head back to look up at the ceiling, I hopped off her desk the second the sound of footsteps came running towards us, the person's breathing labored as they struggled to catch their breath. I grinned at her. "I almost thought you weren't coming."

She looked up at me from beneath her bangs, breathless as she pushed them away from her eyes. "I'm…I'm always on time. You know that," she smiled.

"I suppose you're right about that." Without warning, I threw my arm around her neck and drew her close to me, giving her a quick peck on the cheek. As usual, Hinata blushed.

"I-Ino!" she squeaked. I laughed and patted her gently on the back.

"Ah, sorry, sorry. You know I only tease you though because you're so cute, Hinata." I stuck my tongue out at her sheepishly. Turning to Sasuke-kun, I winked at him. "Don't you think so too, Sasuke-kun?" His face was expressionless as he stared at me before turning his head away.

"Whatever," was his response.

I sighed and began to head for the classroom door. Hinata called out to me in her sweet little voice. "Ino, wh-where are you going?"

I turned my head to look at her over my shoulder. "Don't worry, I'm just gonna walk around for a bit. Besides, sensei isn't going to come anytime soon anyways. Trust me, I won't be late."

She nodded. I wasn't even out the doorway before she called out to me again. "Ino!"

"What is it?" Hinata looked worried as she stared at me. I furrowed my eyebrows in concern. Was something wrong?

"Um…are you…are you okay?" she asked.

I blinked in surprise at the question, the corners of my mouth slowly lifting up into a smile as I realized why she'd asked me that. She may not have seemed like it, but Hinata could be quite perceptive at times. It was like a signal had gone out to her about how I was feeling, and being the cutie she was, she wanted to help me.

"I'm fine," I smiled, hoping that it would assure her. Her worried expression eventually relaxed as she smiled at me in return.

"Come back, okay?"

"I will." Closing the door behind me, I left to explore the school courtyard.

* * *

The weather was beautiful as usual. I stretched my arms above my head and stood underneath the large tree with its stunning, green leaves. I loved the cherry blossoms and all, but truth-be-told, the sweet scent was starting to make me dizzy. A normal tree was fine. I liked leaves anyways.

From between the branches, thin rays of sunlight hit my face. They were warm and made my skin feel all tingly, but in a good way.

I thought back about what Hinata had said to me in the classroom.

_I really need to be more careful with how I act around her. Hinata's a lot sharper than she looks._

Sighing, I placed a hand over my normally beating heart. Naruto and Sakura, Sasuke-kun and Hinata…

_Ahh, they're so lucky_…

As cliché as it may sound, I want to fall in love. Yes, that's right. I, Yamanaka Ino, wish to have a romance out of this world. My ideal romance is like something out of a novel-an exciting, heart-pounding, and exhilarating romance. Sakura was lucky since she already had Naruto. The boy was head-over-heels in love with her. Though Sakura hadn't accepted his feelings at first, the wall she created was eventually broken down, due to time and a certain love-sick blond. I envied the couple.

As for Sasuke-kun and Hinata, they had a sort of chemistry with one another. Well, it looked that way to me at least. The others may not have noticed it, but there were a few times when the Uchiha's eyes would soften whenever he saw her. I tried ignoring it at first, but it eventually got to me for two reasons: one, Hinata was most likely about to be taken away from me, and two, I was again, envious.

In high school, what girl doesn't dream of finding her other-half? A weird one, that's who. Two of my friends have potential candidates at their sides and they don't even notice it. It gets to that point where I feel I have to smack them and yell "He's right there! Your prince is right there!"

I'm the only one in our group who's not paired-up. In short, I feel a bit…lonely. Admitting this to Hinata and Sakura though was the last thing I would ever want to do. Knowing the forehead, she was the most likely to laugh and make fun of me for thinking about these things. Hinata, on the other hand, would be confused and probably feel guilty for making me feel lonely.

Sighing again, I delicately placed both hands over my heart, imitating the way Hinata did her feminine hand gestures. "Ah, I really hope I fall in love one day," I muttered to myself.

Suddenly, there was a loud snap from above, followed by the noise of several, rustling leaves. Without warning, a dark blur fell from the tree, landing directly on top of me as I was pinned to the ground, cushioning my attacker's fall. My stomach had been caved in and I was now in incredible pain. Moaning, I forced my eyes to open and see who my attacker was. My heart began to pick up speed, however, when I realized that my attacker had been a boy, who was currently sitting on top of me.

He hissed in pain before getting off of me, his eyes narrowed as he gave me an apologetic look. "Sorry about that, you okay?"

I nodded, too dumbstruck to speak. He held out his hand. "Here, let me help you up."

Nodding again, I took his hand and allowed him to help me stand, my heart thumping like crazy. Rather than feeling pain, all I could really feel at the moment was pure embarrassment.

_Oh God, was he sitting up there the entire time?_ "Wh-What were you doing up there?"

His vapid expression barely changed as he raised his eyebrows, a sleepy look overtaking his face. "Ah, I was taking a nap," he yawned.

My eyes widened. "Before first period?"

"Japanese literature is boring, so why not?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Are you a delinquent?"

He yawned again. "Hmm, maybe." He stretched his arms before sitting down to lie on the grass. I watched, curious, as he closed his eyes. _The grass, huh?_ Didn't he feel uncomfortable? Wasn't it itchy for him lie on? But more importantly, was he actually going to go to sleep before school even _started_? Wondering where I'd seen him before, I studied him thoroughly this time, and like an alarm, the bells in my head instantly went off.

"Ah! You're in my class, aren't you?" I cried. "Nara Shika-something…?" I knew him as one of the guys who hung out with that idiot, Naruto. Whenever I saw him in class, he was either talking with that chubby guy, Akimichi Chouji, or sleeping. Our brief encounters usually involved the latter.

Silver piercings were clipped into both of his ears. His uniform, like Naruto and the rest of their gang, was worn sloppily. He had narrow brown eyes and dark brown hair, which was pulled back into a ponytail. It kinda looked like a pineapple from the front view, but I wasn't about to tell him that. I barely knew the guy, so insulting him during our actual first meeting was something I planned on not doing. Aside from my bad memory, I was also known for being rather blunt.

He looked at me with one eye open. "Shikamaru," he replied dryly. "And you just figured it out now?"

"Sorry." Blushing, I laughed to cover up my embarrassment. "I've been told that my bad memory is one of my weak points."

"Three months and you still don't know my name?" He snorted. My blush worsened as I balled up my fists, ready to knock his pineapple-shaped head off his shoulders. Who the hell did this moron think he was?

"What was that?"

The tone in his voice was lazy. "What was what?"

"You just snorted! Are you making fun of me?!"

"No, I'm merely contemplating your ignorance."

"And what's that supposed to mean?" I crossed my arms and pouted at him. "Are you saying I'm stupid or something?"

He went back to closing his eyes and let out a sigh. "If it makes you feel any better, there are all sorts of ignorant people in this world. You're not the only one y'know."

"How is that supposed to make me feel better? What it sounds like to me is that you're looking down on everyone else."

Slowly, his eyes opened, and slowly, he turned his head to the side to look at me directly.

"I never said that. I'm just as ignorant as anyone else."

I cocked my head to the side in confusion. "What do you mean by that?"

His lazy expression gradually softened as he looked at me. But from the look in his eyes, all I could see was him looking at someone else.

"Hmm, I'm not so sure myself…" he replied. Plucking a blade of grass from beneath himself, he held it up, high above his head to twirl and gaze at.

* * *

_**Sakura's POV:**_

When I first met him, Naruto had boldly declared his love for me. And to this day, that's one of the many things about him that haven't changed.

* * *

_**Friday 8:21 A.M:**_

"Sakura-chaaaaan~!"

I glared at him from above my bedroom window, wondering how the hell he had so much damn energy this early in the morning. It was a routine we commonly followed. Due to my night-time studying, I barely got enough sleep and always woke up late. Naruto was the only person, aside from my mom, to come over on his bike and wake me up for school. We'd been friends since we were five, though Naruto obviously pushed for something more, even though I had no interest in doing so…

I think.

"Hold on, Naruto, I'll be down in a few minutes!" Repositioning myself in front of my mirror, I quickly applied my light use of make-up and ran a brush six times through my short hair. My sailor fuku _looked_ neat and proper, but the teachers at school were too stupid to notice that I'd shorten my skirt by about an inch. It was in-style these days, so why not?

Running downstairs to head outside, I caught the slice of toast my mom tossed at me from the kitchen entrance, stuffing it into my mouth. Naruto stood by his bike outside with that annoying smile of his, the one that had been making my chest feel weird recently.

_Geeze, would you quit smiling like that already?_ I honestly didn't enjoy the strange pounding of my heart. The feeling was…unsettling. _Stupid idiot_…

Getting on his bike, Naruto turned his head to look at me as I climbed on from behind. "You're so pretty today, Sakura-chan," he smiled.

Blushing, I whacked him across the back of his head. "Stupid, you always say that."

He grinned. "That's because it's true."

Ignoring his comment, I turned my head away. "Start pedaling."

"Right away, ma'am!" he laughed.

The short trip was filled with silence on my part. Naruto did most of the talking.

* * *

"G-Good morning, Naruto-kun, Sakura!"

As we entered the classroom, we were greeted by a blushing Hinata and a grinning Ino.

"What took you guys so long?"

"Traffic," I answered sarcastically. The stupid pig stomped over to stretch out my face with both of her hands.

"That's some mouth you have there, Sakura," she smiled, despite the throbbing vein near her forehead. "I'm six-months older than you, so how about showing me a little respect?"

"Stupid, we're the same age! And you've it got it all twisted around. I'm the one who's older than _you _by six months!"

"Are not!"

"Am too!"

"Are not!"

"Am too!"

I turned around to consult Hinata about the matter. "Hey, Hinata, who do you think is…?" I trailed off, however, watching as my close friend giggled, probably laughing about something stupid that Naruto might've said. Naruto was laughing too and casually placed his hand on her shoulder, causing her to immediately stiffen, her face glowing a bright red.

My chest tightened as I forced myself to look away. Just seeing them together like that…

God, was he stupid. Even after all these years, she still liked him.

* * *

"Sakura, Hinata, hurry up or we'll be late for the next class!"

With Ino ahead of us, I reached out behind me to grab a hold of Hinata's hand.

"If you can run, then we might just make it on time," I grinned. Her hand felt so small and delicate in my own.

"O-Of course I can!" she blushed. Tightening her grip on me, we made a dash down the hallway together.

* * *

Upon entering the classroom, Kurenai-sensei had us pair up with a partner again. I didn't bother asking Hinata because a certain dark-haired hottie was already on his way over. Dark locks of pure ink framed his pale and handsome face. The girls were practically swooning as he ignored them with only one target in sight.

Once he stood in front of us, he reached out to grab Hinata by the sleeve of her uniform without hesitation, a peeved look on his face.

"_This_, is going to be my partner," he plainly stated. His eyes locked onto Hinata. "You, come with me."

I could only watch as my friend gave a final sigh before being dragged off by probably the most handsome boy in our school.

"_This_?" Ino laughed. "Geeze, talk about possessive."

Smiling, I shook my head. "I think it's his subtle way of telling her, 'I like you'."

* * *

_**Hinata's POV:**_

"I know now that you're at least useful for one thing."

I looked up at Uchiha-san from my sketchpad. "Eh? R-Really?" _Does this mean that he liked the lunches I made for him?_

"The girls can't get anywhere near me as long as I'm paired up with you."

"Ah, r-right." _I should've known he would say something like that_. I sighed and continued with my sketch of Uchiha-san. Kurenai-sensei was big on sketching, so I estimated that we were to spend about another week on the subject before moving onto painting. Though I had to admit my artistic talent was nowhere near as good as Uchiha-san's. He had a 'fine eye for detail' as Kurenai-sensei had put it. To think that the beautiful person he'd drawn only a week ago had been me.

_Kyaaaah_… Just thinking about it made me blush. Trying to keep my mind away from that embarrassing thought, I decided to check with Uchiha-san about his health.

"Ne, U-Uchiha-san?"

"Hmm?" he was focused on drawing at the moment, but I could tell he was listening.

"How's your h-health been lately? Did Tsunade-sensei say a-anything was out of the ordinary?"

He stiffened for a moment before returning to his usual self. "No…not really. She said…" his sentence trailed off as he looked up to stare at me. He seemed to be unsure about something. The look in his eyes said otherwise.

"Wh-What is it?"

Uchiha-san looked to be mulling over this for about a second before finally replying, his eyes cast downward as he returned to sketching, "Nothing."

I blinked. "N-Nothing?"

"What are you, an echo?"

Blushing, I apologized and went back to working on my sketch as well.

* * *

During our class break, I was asked for a favor.

"Thank you for doing this, Hyuuga-san," said Kakashi-sensei while grinning at me from behind his mask. He handed me the two-foot stack of papers, fastening the red string at the top that held them all together. "You've saved me."

I smiled in return. "I-It's no problem, sensei. I'm g-going to Tsunade-sensei's office anyways."

He raised an eyebrow. "Again?"

I nodded. "Sh-She told me it was important, so…I d-don't know if I'll be b-back in time for class."

Sensei nodded in understanding. "That's fine. You're not the type to skip class unless it's necessary anyways. I trust you."

I quickly bowed to him before leaving for the teacher's office.

* * *

After dropping off the handouts, I headed for the headmistress's office. I knocked twice and waited. Onc e she called for me to come in, I pushed open the heavy doors, the brass knob cool against my palm. As I stepped in, sensei gestured for me to close the door, which I did before moving forward at her command. She sat at her desk as usual with a small saucer of sake in hand. From the look on her face, I could tell she wasn't drunk, yet.

"I apologize for calling you out like this during class, but I'd like for you to meet someone," she said while taking a sip from her cup.

My eyes widened in response to her words. "E-Eh?! N-N-N-Now?!" My voice had come out more high and squeaky than I'd wanted it to.

She grinned. "Hyuuga-san, it's rather rude of you to stammer like that in front of my guest."

My blood ran cold the second those words left her lips. 'In front of' meant that her guest was-

"So you're the young lady I've heard about."

-_here_.

Spinning around at the smooth voice I'd just heard from behind me, my face instantly went red the second I came face-to-face with the person, my voice caught in the back of my throat as I stared at him.

He was like an older and kinder-looking version of Uchiha-san with his pale skin. His dark hair was longer than Uchiha-san's, shoulder-length I presumed, and tied back. His eyes were a dark crimson, a strange color, yes, but beautiful nonetheless. He was noticeably taller as well, about a foot or so.

His features were gentle as he smiled at me. "You're the one who has been taking care of my little brother, yes?" He took a step forward and took my hand in his, raising the back of it to his lips. The kiss he'd planted was soft, his lips warm. He raised his eyes to meet my own. "It's a pleasure to meet you, miss. I'm Uchiha Itachi."

I could not help but gaze in amazement at the man before me, my blush worsening as he continued to hold my hand in his. This beautiful gentleman was Uchiha-san's older brother? Physically, they looked alike, but when it came to expressions, it didn't seem possible at all. The man before me seemed to have a much gentler disposition.

_When is he going to let go?_

As though he'd read my mind, he released my hand and took a step back, walking over to the ornate loveseat that sat against sensei's wall. Sitting down, he leaned back and swiftly crossed his leg over the other, hands folded in his lap.

"For your troubles, I hope you'll allow me to compensate for it."

"Huh?"

Tsunade-sensei snorted before laughing. "It means that he wants to pay you, Hyuuga-san."

I shook my head, embarrassed. "N-No, I know th-that. W-What I meant was 'why'?"

They both stared at me as if I had gone mad. Uchiha-san (the older one) finally answered after a moment of silence. "For my brother, of course. He must've been quite troublesome I assume?"

"Eh?" I vigorously shook my head. "O-Of course not! I mean, he h-has been a little, but other than th-that, Uchiha-san is v-very nice." I wrung the front of my skirt with both hands, nervously. "But, what I meant to say was…" I wasn't sure if I should've continued.

Uchiha-san gently pressed for me to continue. "What is it?"

I glanced up at him, shyly. "…s-something like that, you don't have to pay me for it because…I don't find Uchiha-san troublesome at all."

Refusing his offer like that might've been rude, but accepting it would've amounted to the same thing. I stood there trembling, waiting for his response. From the corner of my eye, I could see the headmistress as she looked in his direction, waiting for his response as well.

Hours seemed to pass by before Uchiha-san finally stood up, casually making his way towards me. I flinched, suddenly afraid of what he was about to do. Was he going to yell at me? Slowly looking up to meet his intense gaze, I could only muster an "Ah…uh…um" as I stood there waiting once again.

What was he going to do?!

Leaning down, I expected him to whisper something to me about how ungrateful I was, but instead, his cool and soft lips met my left cheek. He drew back and gave a hint of a smirk, which slowly softened into a practiced smile, one that I'm sure he used often in front of people.

"For your troubles."

Turning to the headmistress, he nodded once in her direction before turning to leave.

"Goodbye to you too!" sensei called after him, her voice dripping with sarcasm. She sighed. "Really, in the end, those brothers aren't any different from each other."

She was clearly addressing me as she spoke, but the shock I'd just received had left me burning red with embarrassment.

I couldn't even think at the moment.

* * *

**A/N: Even if this isn't one of my more popular stories, I'm really glad that I finally updated. This story gives me the chance to write out incredibly romantic scenes without appearing too silly, like TPATP or Sasuke Oniichan. **

**More POVs from Sakura and Ino will continue. They have stories too y'know. lol.**

**I would really like to thank those who have stuck with me in reading this story. **

**I would also like to thank **_**Winterkaguya **_**and **_**HisaAngel**_** for their consistent reviews throughout the majority of my stories. Their names are the only ones I usually see a lot, but that doesn't mean I don't love my other reviewers too, so thank you everyone!**

**Next update may be TPATP, but it isn't set in concrete so we'll just have to wait and see. Lol.**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: ….Anyone want to kill me yet? I've been inactive for God knows how long, but I really have been trying. I miss SasuHina fanfiction sooooooooo much that it's been killing me! But it's hard these days without the right type of inspiration. You guys get what I mean, right?**

**Anyways, for those who are still sticking with this story, you have my thanks, because for some reason, this is my most favorite story ever. And it may just be me, but I LOVE AU SasuHina modern day fanfics/art. It just really tugs on my heartstrings for some reason. :3 **

**All in all, please enjoy.**

* * *

In the beginning, I'd never enjoyed going to school. Not one bit, because it was the same thing every day. Girls would develop ridiculous crushes despite knowing nothing about me, and in response to that, boys would either pick a fight with or ostracize me. The teacher's did nothing but suck up to me and would repeatedly tell me to do my best and work hard as a student in order to enter society one day as a proper, working adult.

Every day was a repeat of itself, one after the other. Why should I have had to go out with a girl I knew absolutely nothing about? Why did I have to try and be friends with the males in my class who saw me as nothing but a thorn in their side? And why exactly was it so important for me to work even harder when my grades were already at the pinnacle of perfection?

Exactly what point was there in doing such useless things if _they _weren't even here?

I turned on my side in order to stare outside through the slightly fogged window, glad that I'd chosen to draw open the curtains earlier. The moon was pale, a luminous silver against the deep, deep blue of the night. It was a comforting sight, which was probably one of the reasons I looked forward to evenings the most.

I forced myself to stare at it, hoping that it would be enough to ease my mind and calm down the racing heart beneath my chest.

"_Uchiha-san…" _

The sight of a homemade bento, something I hadn't had in a long time, would often bring back some rather overwhelming memories-the kind of memories that I wasn't too fond of remembering.

But maybe-just maybe, it wouldn't be so painful…

"_Uchiha-san, h-have you been eating properly at home?"_

…so long as she was there.

And surprisingly, staring at the moon tonight had been enough. I placed a hand over my chest. My irregular heart beat was much steadier compared to earlier.

Slowly, I shifted my gaze to the medication sitting upright on my nightstand, the plastic bottle half-empty of pills. I wasn't having an attack, that much was certain, so it should've been fine just for tonight.

I slowly closed my eyes, only for a brief image of _her_ face to appear inside my mind.

_Just for tonight…_

* * *

The next day, I was greeted by probably the three loudest people I'd ever met in my entire life. They most likely had no clue as to what an indoor voice was.

"Morning!" the idiotic blonde grinned.

"Good morning, Sasuke-kun," greeted the pink-haired girl. "Did you make sure to study for today's test?"

"Oh, crap! I can't believe I forgot about that!" groaned the female blonde.

Leaning back in my seat, I sighed and ignored the three as usual. And considering how talkative they were, whether or not I spoke to them, I figured that there really wasn't any need for me to join in on their conversation.

Associating with a bunch of idiots as immature as they were was about as degrading as-

"Th-There was a test today?"

The sound of her voice immediately caught my attention, and without realizing it, I instinctively raised my head to look up at her, our eyes meeting for the briefest of seconds.

And surprisingly, she averted her gaze in a somewhat sudden manner, her usually flushed cheeks even redder than usual.

_What the-?_

"G-Good morning, Uchiha-san…" she greeted softly.

I nodded my head in response, not quite sure what to make of her at the moment. She seemed a bit different today-more withdrawn in a sense, almost as if she were off in her own world with a slightly-glazed look in her eyes. The blush wasn't exactly helping her either or-well, whatever it was that she was trying to hide.

"Morning…" I replied, figuring it was the least I could do since she had a lunch box for me almost every day.

"What?" the pink-haired girl gasped. "You actually forgot to study for a test?" The two blondes standing behind her were also equally in shock, their mouths hanging open.

"I'm surprised, Hinata," mused the blond female. "You're usually so diligent when it comes to school work."

"Don't worry, Hinata!" the blue-eyed idiot grinned. "I always get the lowest score in class whenever we have a test, so the chances of your name being at the bottom of the list are-"

"_You're_ the one who should be worried!" the pink-haired girl growled, swiftly elbowing him in the stomach. Her anger passed as quickly as it had appeared once she turned her attention back to the Hyuuga, a soft smile on her face. "Knowing you, you'll be fine, but if there's anything you don't understand, I can help you with it during our study period before the next class, okay?"

The other girl smiled in turn, her expression a mixture of embarrassment and gratitude. "Yes, I'd like that very much."

"What about me, Sakura-chan?" the idiot double over in pain whined.

"Me too, forehead!"

The soft and warm expression she had seconds ago was immediately replaced with a cold and disdainful stare. "Idiots should just stay idiots."

The three continued to be noisy while bickering amongst themselves, and as usual, I tuned them out, only to find myself focusing on the Hyuuga girl who still seemed to be out of thought as she stared out the classroom window.

She definitely wasn't acting like herself today, that much at the very least was certain.

* * *

"What exactly were you thinking?"

"**And by that you mean…?"**

"Don't play stupid, you know what I'm talking about," I growled, barely resisting the urge to snap my cell phone in two at the moment. "You're lucky I wasn't completely sober yesterday. Otherwise, I would've broken your arm if I'd known that you would suddenly lay a hand on one of my students like that!" I huffed.

"**It was just a light peck on the cheek-nothing more than that,"** the voice on the other end of the line chuckled. **"You make it seem as though I violated her."**

"You-! Just because you studied for a few years overseas, that does not mean that you should go around freely kissing people! This is _Japan_, you idiot! Have some shame!"

"**They didn't seem to mind it over there,"** was his reply. And I could just vaguely, imagine the slightly smug look on his handsome face, which made me want to punch it in even more.

"Keep your conquests to yourself," I scoffed, while pouring myself a serving from the bottle of sake I kept hidden inside my desk. "I'm only calling because what you did yesterday may impact Hyuuga Hinata's decision to continue watching over that brat of a brother of yours."

"**Why would you think that?"**

"I just threatened you a minute ago. It should be obvious, don't you think?"I replied with a bit of sarcasm.

"**I'll…be careful in the future then."**

"Exactly what I wanted to hear," I grinned, pleased with myself. "Oh, and regarding Hyuuga-san..."

We spoke for a good ten minutes, mainly about the details of the plan, as well as the best approach to take since we would be dealing with her.

Though shy and lacking confidence, she was much stronger than most people would think. Interfering with a suicide attempt and accompanying the person to the hospital should've said a lot about her.

I laughed quietly to myself as I thought of the daikon that she had purposely hurled his way. The Uchiha brat being knocked back onto the pedestrian bridge by a mere vegetable was too hilarious of a sight to not have been seen.

"Tch, if only I'd been there with them that night…"

* * *

His soft and low voice echoed deep inside the back of my head.

"_For your troubles."_

The feel of his warm lips against my cheek remained fresh within my mind. To think that such a handsome man would kiss someone like me-it all seemed too surreal at the moment, even though it had only happened just yesterday.

I could feel the heat rushing to my face for the hundredth time that day as I buried it in both hands, shaking my head in disbelief. I was being ridiculous about this, that I understood, but in all honesty, it was just…so embarrassing.

I let out a long sigh as I began to unconsciously twirl the ends of my hair around my index finger. My head was in chaos at the moment, and it didn't help that I couldn't think clearly when I was around the others. Aside from Uchiha-san, everyone else was _very_ loud, something I'd become accustomed to over the past few years, but complete silence was necessary in order to sort out my thoughts.

Sitting outside on the stairwell of the emergency fire escape behind the school was probably the most peaceful location that I could claim as my own, because not only was it hidden; it was also an area that most students made sure to steer clear of-due to its attachment to one of the older school buildings. Though rusted and worn-out, it was clear the moment I stepped on it that the stairwell was sturdy as well as far from collapsing anytime soon. I quietly giggled to myself, grateful for the rumor that had been spread amongst the underclassmen.

"That was quick," said a soft-spoken voice. "I can see that you're not the type to stay upset for too long."

Shock claimed me as I immediately whirled around to face the intruder, only to meet the familiar gaze of a pair of steely, ice-blue eyes.

"G-Gaara-san?"

"It's been awhile, hasn't it?"

The breeze ruffled his fiery-red hair as he hunched forward to lean against the rusted railing on his elbows, hands cupping his face. Even though his gaze was directed straight ahead towards the school grounds, the sound of his voice-as well as his next words, were directed towards me.

"…Are you alright?"

I stared at him quizzically for a few good seconds, trying to figure out the meaning to his question.

He then shifted his gaze in my direction, and from the look on his face, was studying me. His silence was comforting in a sense, yet somewhat unnerving. When he finally did speak, his words had been unexpected ones. "Your wounds…" he began, pausing as though hesitant before continuing on. "Are they gone?"

I blinked, again trying to make sense of his question when it suddenly dawned on me as to what it was that he was talking about. "O-Oh!" _He must be talking about that day when-!_ "I-I'm fine, now-see?" I flexed both arms, hoping to show him that I hadn't taken nearly as much damage as he seemed to have thought I did. "B-Besides, it happened a week ago. And I m-may look like this, but I'm actually quite strong, you know?"

He turned his whole body around this time so that he could face me while continuing to lean against the fire escape's railing.

At that moment, I unconsciously found myself mesmerized by the fiery-red hair that seemed to naturally blend itself against the fading sunset that sat behind him. Ice-blue eyes looked upon me with what seemed to be a subtle hint of amusement and relief, but other than that, the almost indifferent look on his face remained the same. My cheeks reddened at this, mostly due to the discomfort of having him stare at me the way he did. I wasn't exactly used to this. The fact that he was also very handsome didn't help too much either. Not one bit.

"D-Did I say something weird?" I asked quietly, despite trying to break the silence.

"Not…necessarily," he replied after a long pause. "It's just that…when you mentioned the part about being strong, I couldn't help but agree with you for a bit there."

I blushed again, but this time for a completely different reason.

"I saw what they did to you, and for a moment, I was…surprised. Because despite what they'd done-"

Was it just me?

"-not once did you cry."

Or were his words full of praise?

Of course, I was blushing heavily by this point and found it almost impossible to look him directly in the eye. For someone so expressionless, he certainly had a lot to say.

"Ah, that's…because my f-father runs a dojo."

Another long silence.

"Oh. Well, then that makes sense…I guess."

Without warning, the bell suddenly rang, signifying the start of our next period. My lunch break was officially over. I stood up, ready to properly bid him farewell before taking my leave when he suddenly spoke up again, but this time his voice much quieter.

"At that time…why didn't you fight back then?"

His words were clear, despite the noisy rustling of the several trees around us as the wind quickly swept by.

Even if I had tried to explain it to him, he probably wouldn't have understood it.

"Um…how to say this…?" I titled my head back a bit with my eyes shut tight, thinking of a way in which I would be able to answer him as simply as I could.

_"Here you go, this is for you. Peach is your favorite flavor, right?"_

"_Where's that bastard at?"_

_"Dummy, like I'd get mad over something like that."_

"I suppose you could say it's because…I understand how they feel in a sense?" I could only hope that it would be enough of an answer for him, because the moment I spoke those words, I purposefully kept my gaze lowered, afraid that he would see through me with those piercing-blue eyes of his.

But more than that, I was afraid that he would expose the part of me I had absolutely no desire to see.

"…"

"…"

"You're quite strange," he said after a long moment while slowly heading down the stairs past me, hands shoved into his pockets. "But then again, I suppose that's what makes you so interesting in the first place."

And just as swiftly as he had appeared, he disappeared around the corner of one of the school buildings, completely out of sight.

On my way back to class, I couldn't help but ponder on his parting words for a bit, because aside from being unable to interpret said words, I also wasn't quite sure as to whether or not he had been simply insulting, or stealthily praising me. And if it turned out to be both, then I wasn't quite sure as to how I felt about that either.

"Hinata!"

I turned around at the sound of the familiar voice, only to find Sakura, as well as Naruto-kun and Ino running towards me.

"We've been looking all over for you!" Sakura cried,

"You do know that class is going to start soon, right?" Ino frowned in disapproval.

"Who cares? Since we're all out here, we might as well skip the next period anyways! Right, Hinata?" Naruto-kun grinned.

"Stupid, don't put her on the same level as _you_," Sakura growled while quickly elbowing him in the chest. Naruto-kun had taken a hard blow; the look on his face had said that much at the very least, but in that same second, I'd also caught a glimpse of the affectionate look in his deep-blue eyes that he mostly reserved for Sakura alone.

In all honesty, I hadn't been lying when I'd said that I really did understand how those girls felt.

"Sakura-chaaaaan, I was just kidding~!"

Because I knew all too well how it felt to like someone and not have them feel the same way in return.


End file.
